Vinesca Book 2: Revelations
by Gavin T.A. Keasler
Summary: Gavin's story continues:After turning into a dragon, the former human is forced to learn about and how to use his new body and abilities. Although his original goals were to help in the fight against Gaul, find Flamaro's sister; Blizzeara; and friend; Ember; and ultimately get home, new twists and revelations are thrown at Gavin, and things we thought we knew prove to be different.
1. Disclaimer

**Disclaimer:** All rights for the _Legend of Spyro_ trilogy, its products; and other Spyro games, their products; and other Spyro products go to the respective owner(s).

Flamaro and Ember are inspired by, based off of, and adapted from Flame the dragon and Ember the dragoness from the Classic Spyro Games.

All rights for Flame and Ember go to the respective owner(s).

The rights to _Assassin's Creed_ and its products go to the respective owner(s).

The rights to _Kingdom Hearts_ and its products go to the respective owner(s).

My Original Characters are as follows: Gavin and his parents and sister; not Cynder who is a part of the _Spyro Trilogy_; Blizzeara, Crystello, Sharder, Shalir, RedPaw, Malick, human Gaul, Liquel, Lionel, Fvarwal, Mosheair, Erthal, Eis, Strider, Rosy, Jubatusra, and Snowflake.

Jakob McElroy, Crystal, and both of their parents including Starlight, but discluding Malefor who is a part of the _Spyro Trilogy_, belong to Moonlight the Dragon.

Story, _Vinesca_, written by Gavin T.A. Keasler.


	2. Thanks

Like most authors, I have thanks to give out.

First and foremost, I thank the Lord God for allowing me to have the tools, time, education and knowledge, and opportunity to be able to write this story.

I want to thank my family for allowing me to isolate myself from the world and write this story.

I also thank anyone who may have helped by giving me advice or pointing anything out.

I thank the Spyro Franchise and Universe.

Last, but MOST certainly not least, I thank you, my fellow readers.

Thanks for reading, everyone. Enjoy.


	3. Chapter 1: Dracofervia

Chapter 1: Dracofervia

Gavin felt terrible. It had been only three days since he had awakened as a dragon. The first day had been shock and awe, Gavin being the one in shock and everyone else being in awe. The second was about the same, only Gavin began to learn about dragon anatomy; might as well since he now had a dragon's body.

Now this, the third day of him being a dragon and he had become ill. He knew what the disease was too. He had read about it on the second day that he was at the Guardian Temple; or Dragon Temple as he had been corrected eventually, with a little laugh and light heart, by his friends; in Warfang as a human. He had developed Dracofervia.

The black dragon with apricot underbelly, chest, and wing membrane; who had two ivory colored horns curving back from the top of either side of his head with two ivory colored spines that were larger than the rest of his spines running down the center of his head in between his horns, like Spyro and Flame; and who had ivory colored spines that ran along the center of his back down his spine down to his ivory colored tail tip; which curved once to a point, down and again to a second, and again to the third and final point from which it curved down and back to his tail, forming the curved edge of his tail blade which faced downward when his tail was straight; and with a shorter ivory colored horn curving up from the middle of the back of his head; who had once been a human and still wore his "dog tag" cross necklace, lay on his bed, which to himself he called a "millow" because he related it to a cross between a mattress and a pillow, in his room in the Dragon Temple in Warfang feeling miserable.

Dracofervia was an intense dragon fever. When you developed the ailment, you would become very weak and your body temperature would reach _scorching_ temperatures.

Although they were cold-blooded, the dragons of this world could still receive illnesses similar to a human fever. Their bodily temperatures, instead of matching the environment around them, became a constant high; fire dragons receiving the highest fevers and ice dragons receiving the lowest due to their element affecting their bodily temperatures.

The former human felt someone's paw rest against his forehead. He opened his eyes just enough to see who was checking up on him.

"How are you feeling?" asked Terrador, the Earth Guardian, as he formed, blurry, in the sickly dragon's barely open eyes.

"About the same as the last time you checked on me," Gavin managed weakly, "Still weak."

"Your temperature feels about the same too," stated the muscular Earth Guardian as he removed his paw.

Terrador was a large, muscular dragon who possessed the element of earth, giving him command over nature. His scales were of a green color with darker green wings that had an earthly brown membrane. He had an earthly brown chest and underbelly with a ridge running vertically across a chest plate three plates down from his jaw; and a brown, rocky textured back crest starting just above the point between his eyes and running down along his spine.

Two rock-like points came and faced out of the "elbow", this part of the dragon anatomy being called the wing blade, of both wings and slanted a bit pointing forward. He had two large horns that curved up and around his head, ultimately pointing at his back, with several other smaller horns poking out in front of them and forming along his brow above both eyes. Hard organic structures, known as crests, came out from his lower jaw and on both cheeks, making him look almost bearded. Other crests, like these, also formed along both sides of his upper flank near his chest. There were also several smaller crests, they almost looked like lighter colored scales but were larger than his scales, showed themselves on his back legs near his hips. The tip of his tail was a large spikey flail, like a _Glyptodon's,_ only the spikes of his tail were not as long.

Terrador looked at the ill dragon. His naturally black scales had paled slightly, giving him more of a dark grey look. He was sprawled out diagonally across the bed, his muzzle lying near its bottom right corner and his tail bending away to the right from the upper left, a slightly different position than when Terrador had left him. Gavin was moving around every now and then to try to find a cooler position. The apricot membrane of his wings rested against his flanks and bed with his left wing being fully extended, stretching over the side of the bed, and touching the ground. His right wing folded some and touched what was the room's left wall from when you stood in the doorway. One of his wing blades, an ivory colored spike that came out of the "elbow" of both wings and curved facing away from his body and to the tip of his wing, had hooked the bed. Terrador watched as Gavin feebly moved his wing to unhook it and then laid the wing back down again.

It had been only three days that this dragon had been around. Before, he had been a human who had come across a Vinesca crystal, a crystal with powers of teleportation, in his world and fallen into theirs. The human had quickly befriended Spyro, Cynder, and Sparx and had traveled with them to the Dragon Temple in Warfang. Although the Guardians didn't show it, when they had first seen the human, they had felt a need for suspicion and caution.

Humans were part of imaginary tales in the dragon world, or so they had thought that humans were only imagination, and usually were the evil characters that killed the innocent dragon characters. The tales were dark and mostly used as scary stories at night or to keep young children from wandering too far from their parents. There were some lighter ones, though, that were like flip-flopped versions of the stories of knights in shining armor of our world.

When the human had explained his tale and the Guardians saw that he had earned Spyro, Cynder, and Sparx's trust, they had allowed their suspicions to subside. Still, they did not allow him out of the Temple alone. Just because they trusted him did not mean that all the other dragons of the city would.

Not too long after the human's arrival, the Guardians received news about pirates having activity near the Valley of Avalar. When they heard of these reports, they immediately decided to send Spyro, Cynder, Sparx, and Gavin to investigate. They understood how young Gavin was, but they supplied him with cloak, armor, and weapons; and they asked Hunter, a cheetah from the Valley of Avalar and friend of Spyro and Cynder, to mentor him while they carried out the investigation. It was a possibility that he would find a way home during the travels, plus the Guardians saw it as an opportunity for him to get out and explore this new world that he found himself in. He would be protected by Spyro, Cynder, and Hunter.

Eventually, the group had learned that Gaul, the Ape King, thought to have been deceased by Spyro, was the new captain of the pirates. The group had been captured by this ape and forced to fight one another for entertainment and a rank as Gaul's, corrupted, second in command.

During their battle, the allies had refused to combat for the pirates' musings and, instead, had attacked Gaul. They managed to escape. However, Gavin was struck by an attack from the Ape King Captain that had been meant for Cynder. The boy had stepped out in front of Gaul's golden electric-like bolt and taken the hit himself, even though Cynder could have easily dodged it. It had been an act of reflex.

At first, the only after effects were Gavin gaining a pair of dragon wings and better eyesight. These were not to be the only changes caused by Gaul in the boy's life. When the group returned to Warfang, after freeing the Valley of Avalar from the pirate's grasp, Gavin had turned into a dragon overnight. For two days he was healthy and able to begin adapting to what would be his new way of living, but on the third day, the boy, now a dragon, had fallen ill and stayed in his room.

"If you need anything, just let us know when we check up on you."

Gavin gave his head a slight nod and shifted his position a bit, weakly fanning himself with his wings.

"I'll leave you to rest," Terrador said and walked out of the room. He went from there to the Pool of Visions where the Ice and Electricity Guardians sat conversing.

"How is he feeling?" the electric tongued Volteer asked.

"His condition doesn't appear to have changed from earlier," Terrador answered his fellow Guardian.

Volteer was the Electricity Guardian. He was a yellow color with deep blue chest, underbelly, and wings. His back crest that ran along his spine which, like Terrador's, started at the top of his head, but behind where his horns connected to his head, ran down his tail and looked like that of a fish's dorsal fin with relative looking, deep blue crests coming out of his elbows, heels, upper flanks near his chest, and under his lower jaw where the bottom of his jaw connected. He also had a crest like these under his chin that caused him to look bearded as well as yellow crests coming out of his cheeks above the deep blue crests. These crests were not like fins but were more like thick yellow "shards". There were three connecting to each other on each side. The top was longest, the middle was shorter, and the bottom crest was shortest. From there, the deep blue, fin-like crest, which angled downward some, started. His brow, too, had yellow crests. Volteer also had a single, small, pointy crest sticking out at the end of his muzzle above and between his nostrils and pointing up with a small curve.

His two dark blue horns curved back and then up to point forward and up from his head. He also had two smaller horns that stood side by side between these and curved straight up with the curved side facing backwards towards his tail. His wing membrane was the same color as his scales. The actual wing that the membrane was stretched across was jagged, looking like the membrane had been stretched between three deep blue lightning bolts. As for his tail tip, it was a split tail blade with, when Volteer's tail was straightened and you were looking down his tail, the left blade a bit shorter than the right. Both blades had a notch in them on their outward facing edge. When Volteer's tail was straightened, the blades were flat. Two small blades came out just a little way up the tail above these aligning with both blades and curving in their direction. His wing blades were two points, pointing to the direction of the tips of his wings, that both slightly slanted down along the elbow of his wing.

Cyril, the Ice Guardian, was a fully ice blue dragon with two ice shard-like horns. He had ice-like crests fanning out on his cheeks, some jutted out under his lower jaw and chin which caused him to look like he had an icy beard, with several coming out on both of his upper flanks as well as one on his elbows and two on his heels. His forehead and brow was crested and had a lone "shard" sticking out and forwards, curving upwards from the center of his forehead. Another one, this one going straight up and having it's outward side flattened with some of the side facing towards his face continuing upwards, stuck up at the end of his muzzle between his nostrils. His back crest, which started behind where his horns attached to his head, looked like miniature glaciers that slanted and traveled down his spine and tail. His tail tip had four hooked, icy blades fanning out and curving up, pointing in the direction of the tip of his tail, with two more sticking out a bit farther up and slanting down his tail on either side of the end of his back crest. Two shard-like points came out of the "elbow" of each of his wings forming his wing blades. The "shard" on top was longer than the bottom.

"Let's hope his immune system is good. Dracofervia has been known to last several days," the ice dragon said with his British-like accent.

"Couldn't we go and find a green dragon rose for him?" asked Flamaro as he walked in from the library, a place he often went to calm his worrying thoughts about his sister.

"Unfortunately, we cannot," said Volteer, "Although a green rose would expel, eliminate, and terminate the ailment, disease, and illness from his system; it would not help him to build up and fortify his immune system against it. This would cause a higher risk for him to receive the illness of Dracofervia again. It's better if his system fends of the ailment without a rose. That way he has a higher immunity against the disease."

"Oh," Flamaro said.

Flamaro, who was also known as Flame, was a red dragon who possessed the element of fire. His scales were a red color with spots, speckles, and patches of deep blue. He had a deep blue chest and underbelly, wing membrane, and two horns. Little, deep blue crests jutted out of the rim of his lower jaw, like an iguana's, with spines of the same color running along his spine. Two larger spines, like Spyro and Gavin, took the place of his head crest. His tail tip, to define it, looked a lot like Ignitus's, the former Fire Guardian, now Chronicler, tail. It wasn't a sharp pointed tip. Instead it had crests fanning out, looking like fire, near, at the tip of, and on the upper and lower sides of his tail, which were colored a deep blue. His wing blades, although they were a deep blue instead of gold, and body build were a lot like Spyro's.

Flamaro, also known as Flame, was an orphaned dragon. His parents had died protecting him and his sister, Blizzeara, from Malefor's forces during those dark times. His sister and friend, Ember, a pink dragon, had disappeared the same day that Gavin had arrived at Warfang. Upon hearing of the human's arrival and knowing some of the dark stories that humans were in, Flame had come to the Dragon Temple in the middle of the night to talk with this human. He was relieved to find out that his sister had not been killed by the hands of this, what was supposed to be, fictional creature.

Malefor, also known as the Dark Master, had been a purple dragon whom had come before Spyro. Malefor had possessed great power. At first, this showing of his abilities had filled the ancestors with hope, but things turned out otherwise; against the hope. Malefor became corrupted by his power and bent by evil. He accepted the mad idea that his destiny, along with the destiny of all other purple dragons, was to destroy the world; to bring about the great cleansing by resurrecting the Destroyer, a creature believed by the ancients to bring about the birth of a new world…by issuing its destruction, and Golems of the deep. Even after his time, Malefor did not give up on this ideology. He found a way back into the world through the help and use of a corrupted Cynder. He came close enough to reaching the destiny that he thought he had to where the world was breaking apart beneath his claws. Ultimately however, he was defeated by Spyro and Cynder; pulled into a crystal by dragon spirits that highly resembled Ignitus, who had sacrificed himself in the Belt of Fire created by the Destroyer so that Spyro and Cynder could continue on and face Malefor.

Spyro managed to pull the crumbling pieces of the world back together through the use of some power given to him as a purple dragon, fulfilling the prophecies that had been foretold. Malefor, the Dark Master, hasn't been seen or heard of since.

Flame, the orphaned dragon, ended up joining Gavin, Spyro, Sparx, Cynder, and Hunter on their mission to investigate the pirate reports in hopes that he would somehow find his sister and friend. Unfortunately, they did not _see_ any trace of either two dragons. However, when they returned to the Dragon Temple after freeing the Valley of Avalar, Gavin had told everyone that one of the pirates had mentioned something about their being five dragons aboard the ship. Those five dragons would have been Spyro, Cynder, Flame, and two others. Everyone had a notion of who those two other dragons might have been.

This news had caused Flame relief and devastation. He was relieved that his sister and friend were still alive, but was devastated about what Gaul and his forces might be forcing them to do. Since Gavin had become a dragon and fallen ill, they had not been able to continue their search for Gaul; therefore, growing no closer to finding the two lost dragons. However, all the dragons of the Temple were keeping open ears for any possible news about the pirates or two dragons.

The door to the Dragon Temple opened. Spyro, Cynder, and Sparx had returned.

"The city of Warfang has agreed to help Avalar with fighting Gaul," Spyro declared.

When the group had returned to Warfang after fending off the pirates in the Valley of Avalar, three cheetahs, along with Hunter, had come with them. They were to request aid from the City of Warfang in the case that the pirates attacked the cheetah village again. Because of city repairs, Warfang's leaders hadn't been able to hear their request until today.

"Hunter and the others are returning to the Valley to help rebuild the village."

"Good," Terrador said, "That increases our strength against Gaul's forces greatly."

"Oh substantially, considerably, abundantly, significantly…" the lighting tongued Volteer threw in.

The Guardians, along with the young dragons, dragonfly, and former human, had decided that they would help the Valley in fighting against Gaul whether the city agreed to supply aid or not. They were duty bound to rescue the two lost dragons, and Gaul was too high of a threat to the world.

Spyro, the purple dragon, was a dragon born once every ten generations. However, Spyro did not hatch in the Dragon Temple's Grotto where he in his egg had been waiting to hatch during the Year of the Dragon. When he was still but an egg, Malefor's forces, led by Gaul himself, had raided the Dragon Temple. Torn, Malefor had wanted to stop the purple dragon from hatching by destroying all the eggs, but he needed another dragon to bring him back into the world.

His forces smashed all but one egg, or so they had thought. Before they could get to the Grotto, the room with the Pool of Visions and where all the eggs were being kept, Ignitus, the Fire Guardian, had taken Spyro's egg and floated it down the river, giving the purple dragon a better chance to survive and fulfill the prophecies that spoke of him. His egg was found by the dragonflies, Nina and Flash. When he hatched, naturally, he thought he was just a big purple dragonfly. However, fate led him back to the Fire Guardian and the Temple where he learned of his true nature and destiny.

Spyro, like I said before, was a purple dragon. Because of this, he wielded not one, but five of the elements. Four light elements: fire, ice, electricity, and earth; and one special element of darkness: convexity. Convexity had been granted to Spyro not by birth, but by exposure to convexity itself. It gave Spyro the ability to breathe a purple beam of powerful, intense light that would disintegrate anything that it hit. Both he and Cynder called the breath "Fury Breath" because it seemed that they could only use it when they felt a substantial amount of anger, fury, fear, sadness, or something along those lines. When times like these arose, Spyro and Cynder were careful to keep under control.

Convexity acted as an airlock between their world and the Dark Realms beyond. If Spyro and Cynder weren't careful, a dark side of themselves could be unleashed by convexity and take them over. So far, this kind of thing had only happened twice after the corrupted Cynder was defeated. Once, at the Well of Souls, Spyro had been overtaken and used the breath to defeat Gaul. Fortunately, with the help of Cynder and Sparx, Spyro had regained control of himself.

The second time Spyro had turned dark was in the Belt of Fire as the Destroyer continued to make its way towards Mount Malefor so that it might complete its ring of destruction. Ignitus had just sacrificed himself so that both he and Cynder could continue on to face Malefor. Spyro had turned at the loss of the Fire Guardian, but Cynder had again managed to calm him down so that he could regain control of himself and they could continue on to finish their quest.

Cynder had been turned to her dark form upon reaching Malefor, but this had been done by Malefor himself, not convexity alone. This time, Spyro had been able to help Cynder regain control of herself.

Spyro's chest and underbelly were a golden orange color. He had a spade-like tail that looked a bit like a frozen, orange-ish flame that stood up on its side. His wings were a bit darker than the color of his chest with matching membrane and sharp, golden points coming out of the "thumb" as his wing blades. The two horns on his head zigged up, back, and up once more. He also had golden spines running along his spine and down his tail. Like Flame and Gavin, two larger spines took the place of his head crest.

"How's Gavin?" Cynder asked.

Cynder was a black dragoness. She was the one egg Malefor's forces had not destroyed and, instead, used to free Malefor; but that was the past. The evil things done by that Cynder were not the real Cynder, it was the Cynder controlled by Malefor himself. The real Cynder was more than best friends with the purple dragon, Spyro.

Along with Cynder's black scales, she had a magenta, or dark pink, colored chest and underbelly and wing membrane. Three ivory colored horns curved up from each side of her head with three more sticking out in a vertical row on the back of her head, accounting for nine horns in all.

A marking was placed on her forehead and two markings that were identical to each other were near the shoulders of her left and right forelegs. These markings represented a curse that Malefor had once put on the dragoness. The curse being that, if Cynder ever left the Dark Master's services while he was still alive, she would be haunted by nightmares of everyone she had either hurt or killed. Three dashes, also markings of the curse, dashed under each of her eyes. There was also a marking where her tail met her body that looked similar to the two on her forelegs.

She wore silver braces that had, in her past, been used by Malefor as torture devices and shackles, around the wrists of her forelegs. She also wore a silver brace around her neck and one around her tail that had both been used for the same purposes. Because Malefor was defeated, the torture abilities of these braces had been disabled. She now wore them as simple jewelry. Sharp blades jutted out as her wing blades and looked similar to her curved, largely notched, tail blade of which had its notched edge facing downward and curved edge facing upward when her tail was straightened.

Because of her over exposure to darkness, Cynder possessed four uncommon elements: shadow, fear, poison, and wind. She also had the ability to breathe fire, her original element by birth, and like Spyro possessed the dark element of convexity.

Her eyes were an emerald green. Her body build was that of the slim, feminine build. She also had a point coming out of both her heels directly at their bend that slanted up slightly having the outward curved part facing backwards in the direction of her tail, and at the back of both her front paws which pointed down having the outward curve facing backwards. A point also came out of both her elbows that pointed up at an angle, and out of the back of both her back paws that pointed down having the outward curve facing backward towards her tail. Most female dragons did not have spines or a crest running along their back. Cynder's build stayed with this commonality.

"Gavin's condition has not improved since when you left. He is still very weak and his temperature is still very warm," answered Terrador.

"Well, I hope he gets better soon," said Sparx, "He looked pretty bad when we saw him."

Sparx was a golden dragonfly who gave off a golden glow. He was born to Nina and Flash, whom Spyro hatched alongside, and had hardly ever left his best friend's, more like brother's, side. Unlike the dragonflies of our world, the dragonflies of this world flew vertically and had two arms and no legs. Although he was very small compared to the dragons and others around him, Sparx could have quite a big mouth at times. Also, although these dragonflies were still nowhere near the size of dragons, they were bigger than the dragonflies of our world.

"Yes, we are all hoping that too, Sparx. But, like I said just a moment before you all returned, Dracofervia has been known to last several days," stated Cyril.

* * *

**Author's Blurb:** Well...it took me long enough, didn't it? Almost a year. I thank you all for your patience. Hopefully book three won't take as long to be released when this one is finished. That's right, I plan on making this a four book series.

In any case, it looks like poor Gavin has fallen ill. Sounds like quite the dracofervia or draconic fever. He's being taken care of though, and it's good that Warfang has agreed to help in this rising war against Gaul.

P.S. There will be several more descriptions like the ones that you read in this chapter. If they are too confusing or you would also like a picture(or take the easy way out ;) ) to go along with it, or if you even think that they may be a little off the mark; just google the character and do your best to imagine them with the graphics of reality. There will be some characters that you won't be able to find a picture of the description for though. For those characters, you're going to have to use your imagination and try your best to create an image of the description.

~Stick With Me~


	4. Chapter 2: A Family Not By Blood

Chapter 2: A Family Not By Blood

Gavin, Hunter, Spyro, Flame, and Cynder stood in the pirates' arena pit. Sparx hovered nearby as they all glared up at Gaul. The Ape King Captain stood on the captain's perch raising his staff and laughing. He would take control of the confident human first, then work his way through the rest of them and sit back to enjoy what would surely be a bloodbath of a show. Suddenly, his staff was yanked away from his grasp by a shadow. Gavin smiled, it was obvious who had done that. Only one member of the group possessed the element of shadow.

Gaul went into a rage, without that staff his barrier was weakened and he'd have to take on the dragons, cheetah, and human himself instead of watching them tear each other apart. At least he could catch one of them by surprise.

"Cynder," he said with a dark growl in his already deep and raspy voice, "your services are no longer wanted."

Gavin, Hunter, and the three dragons and dragonfly watched as the evil and scarred baboon quickly raised his hand towards Cynder. A golden electric-like bolt shot from it, heading directly for her. Gavin calculated that he would have enough time to quickly step out in front of it, but he didn't move.

The black dragoness jumped away. The group watched in horror as the bolt followed her move. Gavin's heart stopped as it slammed into her side, knocking her off of her paws. What had he just failed to do?

"CYNDER!" the purple dragon, Spyro, screamed as he ran to the one-who-was-more-than-his-best-friend's side.

Everyone else quickly followed, their hearts frozen in their chests. Gaul laughed maliciously at his handy work. This wasn't as amusing as a battle, but it would do. A pirate handed him his staff back and the barrier was quickly resealed. He didn't force them to fight just yet. He wanted to watch the results of his doing.

Spyro made it to Cynder's side first and lay down next to her. Her breathing was rapid and strained. A golden electric-like energy crackled around her body. Gavin and Hunter knelt down around her. Flame sat by Spyro, not knowing what to do.

"Spyro," rasped the dragoness.

"It's okay," he said, "I'm here."

The purple dragon laid his neck against Cynder's. Gavin laid his hood onto his shoulders and bowed his head while folding his hands. His eyes watered as tears formed in the rest of the group's eyes. The crackling became lower in volume, as well as Cynder's breaths.

"Spyro," whispered Cynder once more, "I lo-love…" She didn't get to finish her sentence, death wouldn't allow it.

"I love you too," Spyro sobbed, not wanting to accept her death. It couldn't happen, not Cynder. Why her? Why couldn't the bolt have hit him!?

Gavin choked, his own thoughts pounding against him. What have you done!? You idiot, boy! Why didn't you step out in front of the bolt?! You could have saved her! Sure, you would have become a dragon and your possibilities to get home would have slipped further, but how large a price is that compared to this!?

"I-I'm sorry," he whimpered, tears falling from his eyes.

Hunter's head was bowed, tears rolled down Flame's cheeks while Sparx just stared in disbelief, regretting every mean comment and joke he had said about or to the dead dragoness. Spyro didn't move, he still rested his head across Cynder's lifeless body.

"I know what Ignitus once said," Spyro whispered through his sobs in hopes that his greatest friend would hear, "That when a dragon dies, they do not truly leave this world, but it will be too long until I can actually see you again. Cynder, please, life will never be the same."

She didn't stir. She couldn't, she was gone.

A shadow crept over the purple dragon's body, turning him from purple into an almost glowing black. Gaul had decided that enough drama had been shown. It was time for some real entertainment and, since Spyro's emotional barrier was weak, he had decided to start with the great purple dragon. The evil consumed hero stood up and turned towards the human. His eyes were glowing white with no pupil. Gavin stared into them.

"Spyro, no," he said.

"Shut up!" came a familiar yet darkened voice from the dragon's throat. "You could have saved her! The only price you would have paid would be turning into a dragon! Cynder's price was death!"

Gavin's wide eyes stayed on the dragon's, his fear was given away by a gulp. He didn't want to say what he was about too, but he had no control, "You were close enough to her too."

Spyro's eyes lightened for only a brief second, they quickly sharpened with various negative emotions. No more words were spoken, no reaction time was given. The dragon opened his mouth, and Gavin awoke with a jolt just before an ice shard went through his head. He looked around, wide eyed, at his surroundings. He was safe in his room. The sun was setting as Gavin realized that what had happened had simply been a dream, a horribly vivid nightmare of one.

The black dragon's head snapped to attention as his bedroom door opened. A purple dragon poked his head in. Gavin gave a quiet sigh of further relief. Spyro was fine, the last time he had turned dark was in the Belt of Fire during the war with Malefor.

"How're you feeling?" he asked.

"Not sure," Gavin answered honestly, "I just woke up from a bad dream that felt very real. I think I still need to wake up."

"Well," said the purple dragon, "do you feel well enough to try to come and eat?"

Gavin's head was beginning to say no, but his stomach's yes was quicker and stronger. "Yeah, I think I'll try," said the ill dragon as he tried to stand.

He took a few weak steps and staggered. Spyro rushed over and supported him with his side.

"Thanks," said the black dragon as Spyro guided him out of his room and into the dorm's hallway. They turned left and walked through the door into the large training dojo of the Temple. It looked like that was where dinner was going to be held. Flame, Cynder, and the Guardians were already eating. Sparx munched on a berry of some sorts.

Gavin smiled at the sight of the other dragons being in good health and not about to be forced into ripping each other apart. He felt better in his decision of stepping out in front of Cynder and taking the bolt. His dream had introduced a "what if" to his mind, and he was glad that he wouldn't have to find out whether it was truly how events would have played out differently or not. Spyro and Gavin joined everyone for dinner.

"Feeling any better?" asked Flamaro.

"Maybe a bit," answered Gavin.

He felt a bit stronger than earlier. Maybe some food would increase that feeling. His body still felt feverish though.

Dinner was some sort of cooked meat. Gavin didn't ask what it was. Remembering what Spyro had fed him when they were traveling to Warfang, swamp rat, discouraged that question. He probably would have eaten it whether he had asked or not, but whatever the meat was, it tasted good.

Gavin felt even better after he had finished, still feverish, but better.

"Your scales appear to be looking their normal shade," Terrador pointed out after he too had finished his meat.

"I'm feeling a little stronger too, still kind of feverish, but better," said the sickly dragon. He soon noticed that the dragoness lying near him kept looking from her paw to his.

Gavin looked to his paw. There was nothing out of the ordinary…well…out of the ordinary for being a dragon; one paw, three clawed digits, black scales. He flipped his paw. Nothing there either. He looked to Cynder with question.

"Sorry," Cynder said.

"No need to be. What's got your attention?"

"I keep remembering to back after Gaul had escaped. Remember when I helped you up, that warmth when you brushed my side."

Gavin nodded, "Yeah, I thought it was just the bolt's after effects."

"Me too, at first anyways, but look." Cynder got up and walked over to Gavin. She positioned herself next to him and laid her paw alongside his.

Gavin saw what had her thinking. Their paws were very relative to each other. They were the same shade of black, about the same size, and their claws very relative to each other.

If Gavin hadn't known better, he could have thought that the paws belonged to a brother and sister. Their only differences were that Gavin's leg and paw were just a bit thicker and slightly bigger because he was male and Cynder had a point coming out of the back of her paw.

Everyone else looked, with thought in their eyes, at this possible revelation.

"And remember what happened when you went to pick up your dagger?"

Gavin nodded again, "Yeah, an energetic aura ran up my arm."

"Yeah!" Flamaro exclaimed, realizing where this one was going, "And it seemed to form along your spine!"

"Look at your tail," Cynder said.

Gavin raised the blade of his tail up. It did look exactly like the blade of his dagger, curving two times and then once more to form the main point of his tail blade.

"So, you're saying that the results of Gaul's attack were determined by what or who I touched soon afterwards?"

"It makes sense," Spyro said. The Guardians nodded thoughtfully along with Flame.

"So what would have happened if Hunter had been the first to help me up? You think I may have turned into a cheetah?"

"If what I'm saying is true, yes, you might have," said Cynder.

Gavin analyzed his tail a bit longer.

"Well, this possible truth is interesting. I suppose that, if you think about it," he added with a small chuckle, "you could say that I've been turned into your brother. Although I haven't seen my reflection ever since I was turned into a dragon, judging by our paws, we're looking a bit similar." Gavin looked to the black dragoness with a small smile on his face.

"Well I'd imagine," said Cynder, "that a true brother would have done the same and jumped out in front of that bolt. So, yeah, if you think about it." She returned the smile.

Gavin looked around at the rest of the group as they began talking to one another. Yeah, and Spyro was his brother along with Flame and Sparx. The Guardians were his new…guardians, if you'll excuse the pun. As of the time being, this was his new family.

Gavin's smile slowly faded as his thoughts turned to his biological family, the ones that he had spent thirteen years of his life with. He missed them, his mom, dad, sister, grandmas, grandpas, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, best friends, the one who "liked" him…and he kind of "liked" back.

Gavin caught himself staring at his paws as a tear rolled down his cheek. If he returned home as a human, would they believe his story? Possibly, but what if he returned home as a dragon? What would everyone think? Would it be a comical situation, a dark and scary one, or would everyone somehow understand?

"Gavin, are you alright?"

The homesick and ill dragon looked up towards Spyro. "What, uh, yeah, I'm okay. It's just that, this talk of brothers and sisters has made me realize that, for now, this is my new family." He spread his wings as a gesture to everyone. "I'm just thinking of my blood family in my world, the one I spent thirteen years with. That's all."

Gavin lifted his paw and wiped the tear from his lower jaw. "And I can't help but wonder, how will I be able to go home?"

"Don't worry," Terrador assured, "I'm sure we'll find a way to return you to your world."

Gavin looked to the Earth Guardian. "That's not what I mean," he said, "I mean, _how _will I be able to go home, to say goodbye?"

Everyone was silent.

They didn't know how to answer that. At first, Gavin thought that it would go unanswered, but then Cyril said, "I don't know if it will make you feel any better, but we all know that there is a possibility that you may not have to. We keep the hope that we will be able to find a way to send you home, but there is the fact that we may not find a way."

Gavin nodded, "I guess that's true."

The torn dragon was beginning to feel hot and weak again. The Dracofervia wasn't done yet. He laid there a little longer with everyone else, hoping that a lighter subject would come up before he went to bed. It didn't.

Finally, Gavin stood up, "I feel a little bad for leaving everyone off with this, but I'm getting tired and should probably get my rest so I can get better. Goodnight, everyone."

"Goodnight," they replied in unison and turn.

Gavin turned around and staggered again while trying to walk to bed. Cynder, who was still lying next to him, stood up and gave him support.

"Here," she said as she began to help him to his room.

Cynder stayed at Gavin's side until he was lying on his bed.

"Thank you," he said.

"No, thank you," said Cynder.

Gavin looked at the female dragon. "For what?" he asked.

"For taking the bolt, I guess," answered the dragoness. She seemed a little unsure of what she was thanking him for.

Gavin just smiled. "Goodnight, Cynder," he said.

"Goodnight, Gavin."

She walked out of the room and rejoined the others. Gavin lay there for a while, looking out his window at the darkening sky and stars. He folded his paws and bowed his head.

"Hey, God, it's me, Gavin. Like I said two nights ago, I don't know why Your plan has included this dragonish turn in my life, but I want to thank You all the same. I know that Your plan has a great purpose and trust that it will prevail for the greater good. I thank You for everything, Lord. I thank You for the life I've had so far and for my family, all human, cheetah, and draconic members of them.

"I pray that I would be guided into making the correct decisions, and that I would be given the strength not to hesitate if faced with another situation like the one I experienced aboard the ape pirate ship. Again, Lord, thanks. Amen."

Gavin opened his eyes and looked at the crate of stuff that sat by his millow. Inside it, he knew, were his tunic, pants, cloak, armor, bow, dagger, and several arrows. On top of it sat his glasses, a diagonal crack running across the right lens, which, at the angle he was looking at them from, was on the left side.

He remembered the moment he had noticed that crack in his glasses. It was right after the cheetahs had liberated their village from the pirates. Gavin was standing among them, watching the pirate's bonfire, as they gave off their victory cries and hugged one another. As he stared at the fire he realized that his vision was cracked.

He took off his glasses and saw the crack running along the one lens. It must have happened when he was knocked down from behind. Once he had his glasses off, though, it had felt like something inside his eyes had snapped. When he put his glasses on, everything went blurry until he took them off. He no longer needed glasses.

Gavin stared at his glasses a bit longer, lost in thought, he turned his gaze to watch the sky darken out his window and more stars appear. Finally, he yawned, stretched, and laid his head between his paws. Even though Dracofervia's symptoms were returning once more, sleep came quickly and Gavin dreamed.

He dreamed that he was at a party, he wasn't sure where it was, somewhere inside, but he was human and there were other humans: his friends and family; cheetahs: he spotted Hunter, Meadow, and Prowlus, Shalir and RedPaw were dancing; and dragons: Cyril was over by the bar helping to serve cold drinks, Terrador was talking with his dad who wore a blue shirt with a black jacket over it black cargo pants covered his legs, while Volteer was helping to DJ. Spyro and Cynder were also on the dance floor along with the cheetahs and Gavin's little sister. The boy spotted Sparx's glowing presence exchanging jokes and stories with some humans that Gavin recognized.

The thirteen-year-old human turned his head to look beside him. He was met with the warm smile of his mother. The boy smiled too as he leaned over and embraced her. There was one weird thing about his mother that was out of place, but, somehow, made perfect sense.

She wore a red sequined dress that really formed around her body. His mom usually wouldn't have worn something like that. Maybe it was simply because it was a dream; out of place things seemed right a lot of times in dreams. The place was full of happiness. Everyone was together, Gavin didn't have to pick between the two families. The smile he had on in his dream seeped through the fantasy into reality and fell onto the sick dragon's face. For that night, he was partying with one big happy family.

* * *

Spyro was in his room, lying on his bed, thinking of what they had discovered at dinner while he fell asleep. Gavin did look like a male version of Cynder. If the purple dragon hadn't known better, he would have taken Gavin as her brother, but that couldn't be at least not by blood. Gavin was from a whole other world. One where, from what he said, had human beings, creatures that resembled hairless apes, as the superior species; but that couldn't stop someone from acting like a brother towards someone else; and by the way Gavin had acted so far, that's just what he was, a brother to the others around him.

As Spyro thought more about it, he realized that Gavin had, so far, proven himself to be a true friend and ally. He had put his life before Cynder's, taking an attack that had been meant for her, and had fought alongside the two dragons without complaint.

While this last thought passed through his mind, one of the two defeaters of Malefor fell asleep. His dreams were of a third dragon standing beside him as he and Cynder protected a fourth red dragon from shadowy enemies; the dread and sorrow of the red dragon's lost sister.

* * *

Flamaro lay in his room reading a book by candle light, with heavy eyelids, as he tried not to worry over his lost sister and friend. Fortunately, although it made him feel slightly guilty, Flame's thoughts were not on his sister, nor his friend. Instead, it was swirling around what had happened at dinner. Gavin had said that, as long as you thought about it, he had been turned into Cynder's brother. They did look similar.

Flame hadn't been able to help but realize, just after he said this and everyone began conversing, that the black dragon, who had been a human once before, had looked around at everyone else with a light in his eyes. Flame knew that light, it was the same kind that his sister had in her eyes whenever she looked at him with sisterly love, Gavin was considering everyone in the Temple a part of his family. He had even admitted it.

Flamaro smiled as his eyelids fell, weighed over by happiness and that book dust that collects on your eyes whenever you read. He blew out the candle and closed the book without opening his eyes as he realized that he now had someone who he could consider a brother and would consider him a brother back, plus several others who had taken him into their family. He missed his sister, she would love this new family too.

* * *

Cynder lay on her bed, her mind, like everyone else's, rolling over what had been said at dinner. Gavin had basically said that he considered her a sister. A smile was on the dragoness's face. Gavin did look a bit like a male version of her, which is probably what her brother, if she had had one, would have looked like. After Gavin had gone to bed and Cynder returned to the others, Spyro had even said that he did look kind of like her. Even though they weren't blood, the way that Gavin had talked and looked around, he seemed to be considering everyone family: Cynder his sister; Spyro, Flame, and Sparx his brothers; and the Guardians his guardians.

Her smile grew larger. Finally, someone else other than Spyro, Hunter, and the Guardians who looked at her; without giving any heed to her past and present faults; and gazed upon the true Cynder. Not the evil "Terror of the Skies," no, the true Cynder who had helped to save the world. Although most dragons were beginning to lighten and forget her past, and, instead, focus on her positives, she still caught a flicker every now and then in some of their eyes that gave away what they still had buried in the back of their minds. She had done things in her past. She wasn't proud of them, yet those things affected her reputation, even though it hadn't been the real her who had done those things.

Cynder realized what she had been thanking Gavin for. It wasn't just for him stepping out in front of the bolt, she had wanted to thank him for seeing her as a sister. The smile shrank only slightly from the dragoness's face as she drifted off to sleep. Tonight, instead of having a bad memory of her past or a nightmare, the former "Terror of the Skies," who wasn't that, dreamed of a black dragon who had a light around him. He smiled at her as Spyro and Flame joined them along with three Guardians, a cheetah, dragonfly, and the Chronicler, Ignitus. Even though they weren't blood, Cynder was surrounded by a family: her family.

* * *

**Author's Blurb:** Aren't we all glad that things didn't happen the way Gavin dreamed? Do you think that I'd really kill Cynder? No, good, that's what I was thinking too.

Interesting. Reread the description of Gavin and then either read Cynder's description or search for a picture of her. It's interesting how much they look alike, no?

Do you think that, if a way to send Gavin home is found, that he will go? Maybe he'll pull lucky and be able to jump from the two worlds...

In any case, quite the good dream Gavin's having. Wouldn't that be neat if the worlds combined and he didn't have to make the decision; everyone became friends and one big happy family.

In any case, Gavin's still sick. How long will this dracofervia last?

~Stick With Me~


	5. Chapter 3: Bettering From Sickness

Chapter 3: Bettering From Sickness

Day two of Dracofervia. Gavin felt pretty good. Although he was still weak, he was feeling and looking better. He was still going to rest for the day, just to be on the safe side, but instead of just sleeping, the bettering dragon had a book laid out in front of him. It was entitled, _The Anatomy of Dragons_, and was about just that. Gavin had come to the chapter on tails' tail blade; or tail tips as they were better called, since not all tips were blades; part.

"_Tail tips, like most other features of a dragon_," said the book, "_come in many variations, and are commonly unique to the owner_."

So tail tips were like finger prints for dragons. He continued reading.

Maybe three or four hours later, sometime after Gavin had finished the book and had a head full of knowledge on the dragon body, the sickly black dragon decided to get up and see what everyone else was doing. He needed to start regaining his strength anyway; he had been laying down for almost a whole day and a half. The dragon grabbed the book, exited his room and the boys' dorm, and entered the training dojo; which, Gavin was noticing, was more of a multipurpose room because so far it had been used as a dining room, and Gavin knew that it was a training area.

Right now, no one was in it except for him. He walked towards the door leading to the Pool of Visions, but just before he got to it, the Ice Guardian, Cyril, walked through.

"Oh!" he exclaimed, "I was just about to check up on you. It appears I didn't have to go as far as I thought. You're feeling better, I presume."

Gavin nodded. "I'm still a little weak, but yes. I decided to get up and move around a bit to start regaining my strength."

"It shouldn't take too long for you to regain your strength. You were only extremely sick for a day. Then again, Dracofervia has been known to have small breaking periods before taking effect again."

Gavin nodded, remembering to have read that himself. "If I start feeling feverish again, I'll let you know and return straight to my room."

"Very well," said the ice dragon, "Terrador and Volteer are still gone, helping with city repairs. Spyro and the others are in the library. I suppose that's where you'll be heading."

Gavin nodded for a third time. "Yep."

Cyril turned around and walked back into the Pool of Visions' room. Gavin followed behind and walked into the library where he was going to return the book to its shelf.

Gavin placed the book in its spot and began to browse the informational section, looking for anything that might be important for him to know before he began on any fiction. There were several books on the world's history which the black dragon was debating on. Did he need to know what they told? Not necessarily. Would it be helpful? Possibly. He decided to at least take a look at the other books in the library.

As Gavin browsed around, he noticed that Cynder and Flame both had books as they laid on two of the smaller, cushiony millows in the reading area of the Temple's library. Spyro must have been somewhere off among the book shelves like Gavin was about to be. The library was large, but not huge. It was maybe the size of _Barns and Noble_, a book store in Gavin's world, which meant that it was large enough to not be able see everyone in it from one spot.

The former human was looking at the books that lined a shelf. It seemed that he was within the fantasy section, which was kind of ironic considering where and what he was right now.

"I see you're up and moving again," came a voice from his right.

Gavin turned to face the purple dragon. "Yeah. I'm still feeling a little weak, but my strength is coming back to me."

"Hopefully it's not just a breaking period," said Spyro.

"I'll be positive about it and say that I should be near my normal health tomorrow." Gavin returned his gaze to the book shelf. "Been reading anything good?"

"I just finished one," answered the purple dragon as he held up a book, "_Acklair and the Human_, the story Cyril had mentioned as his favorite. It was actually pretty good, but it didn't surprise me that Acklair was an ice dragon."

Gavin remembered how, in the games, Cyril spoke a lot about his heritage as an ice dragon. It seemed that that was another fact from the games that rang true. "I might have to read that one, but not now. I think I'll just go and relax; let the thoughts in my clearing head roam a bit now that I'm feeling better."

"Alright," Spyro said, "I'll join you after I put this back in its spot."

Gavin walked, from there, back to the reading area and laid down on a millow that was against the wall. The reading area was to the right of the doorway when you faced it from inside the library. So, right now, the doorway was to Gavin's right, since he was facing into the library, as Cyril walked in and joined them.

"I suppose I might as well be in the same room as everyone else," he said as he lay down on a millow made for his size between Gavin and Flame.

Gavin lay his head between his paws, closed his eyes, and allowed his mind to wander. After a while he had thought up a question to ask. The black dragon opened his eyes and looked to the Ice Guardian. "What's the plan for tomorrow? Something tells me it won't be as casual as today."

"No," confirmed Cyril, "you better enjoy today's relaxation while it lasts. Tomorrow, as long as you are feeling well, which you should since your Dracofervia seems to be at the end of its course, unless it's just a breaking period, we plan to begin training you and Flamaro." The red dragon lifted his eyes from his book and looked towards Cyril as he continued. "If you are to find Blizzeara and Ember and possibly defeat Gaul, you're going to have to learn how to fight like Spyro and Cynder have. Which reminds me; Flame, how well are you able to breathe your element?"

Flamaro tilted his snout towards the ceiling and opened his mouth. A light flame rose from it upwards. He closed his mouth and looked back at the Ice Guardian.

"That's about it," he said a bit sheepishly.

"No matter," said Cyril, "at least you have awakened it. Spyro and Cynder should be able to help you develop your fire further. As for Gavin, I'm afraid we cannot work with your element until you at least know what it is."

Cynder looked up from her book and towards the Ice Guardian. "Is light a possible element for a dragon?" she asked.

"Not that I know of," answered Cyril, wondering what had suddenly sparked the dragoness' curiosity about light being an element.

"What makes the dragoness of darkness wonder about light?" asked Sparx as he hovered above everyone.

"Just a dream that I had," answered Cynder.

"Oh, so now you're having nightmares about the day."

"No," Cynder shot back, "it wasn't a nightmare. In the dream, Gavin had an aura of light around him. It just made me wonder."

"Uh, oh," said Sparx a bit mischievously, "I better warn Spyro that his girlfriend is dreaming about other dragons."

"Spyro was there too," said Cynder defensively, a little annoyed that the dragonfly would even think to poke fun in that category of her life. She returned to her book, ending Sparx's fun. That was one area that she would not play his games in. He knew that she wouldn't leave Spyro.

"Anyways," continued Cyril, not quite sure of how to react to that little spit between Sparx and Cynder, "we should be able to hone your other combat abilities, Gavin, as long as you're willing enough."

"I think I'm willing," the to-be pupil answered, "I don't have much of a choice anyways, considering that I want to help find Blizzeara and Ember and defeat Gaul. Not to mention that it'd be smart to know how to defend myself in this new world with this new body, just in case."

"That is true," said the ice dragon, "If you come to a fight, which I do not doubt will happen, you will most likely be in a lot closer to the enemy then what you would be with an arrow or even a dagger."

* * *

Volteer and Terrador returned later that day with a bit of seriousness about them. The five other dragons of the Temple and dragonfly joined the Earth and Electricity Guardians around the Pool of Visions.

"We've been sent news from the cheetah village in Avalar that the pirates appear to be getting ready to launch another attack. An experienced war party from Warfang has been sent to the village today because of this. I fear that the attack will come soon. Unfortunately, we cannot send _you_ to the village just yet."

"Why not?" questioned Spryo.

"Because we still have yet to train Gavin and Flamaro; and because you and Cynder possess the fire element, you two will be helping him to develop his fire." Terrador looked to Gavin. "Are you feeling well?"

"I think my strength has returned for the most part," he answered.

"Good, your and Flame's training will start first thing tomorrow morning. I suggest that you all get your sleep. There is much work to be done."

* * *

She sat on one of the ledges of the floating islands of Tall Plains, watching the sunset on what had been another beautiful day back in her home world. That other world had been fun and interesting and all, but, truly, there is no place like home.

She wondered what her son was doing. Was he okay? How much had been explained to him so far? Where was he at this moment? How many days had it been again since they had got back? She took a breath to calm her thoughts and started to count so that she could at least answer that last question.

She was interrupted by a presence sitting down at her side and a smaller one sneaking up on her leg.

"RAWR!" Giggles. "Did I scare you, mom?"

She shook her head. "You're going to have to do a lot better than that now, Mooberry."

A blush of a smile, "Mom, you're still going to call me that?"

"Yeah, I'm still calling you by your name, aren't I?"

"Yeah," said the little red dragoness as she cuddled between her mom's red scaled forelegs.

"I almost forgot how beautiful our home is," the presence next to her said. She turned her head to her husband. Did that title still exist here, or should she start calling him her mate? She couldn't remember for sure, thirteen years away from your home world can cause you to forget little things like that. She'd at least still call him hubby in her head.

"Do you think he's okay?" she asked.

"Yeah," said he, "of course he is. It's our son we're talking about, right?"

She smiled. Falling in love with this, unnaturally black, ice dragon had been the best choice of her life. Yes, she was of another element; a fire dragon, some considered that the exact opposite element of ice, but true love is blind. That we all know.

"I guess you're right," she said as she laid her head against his. He wrapped a wing around her.

She was a little chubbier than he remembered her as a dragon, but her figure would return. There wasn't as much chocolate in this draconic world as there had been in the other. As for his daughter, she had taken the news of why she had suddenly turned into a dragon and stepped into a new world very well, but, of course, questions were still being asked.

"Mom, since I'm a dragon, will I be able to breathe fire?"

"Yes," answered Mom, "but fire is not the only element that dragons can breathe; but since you are a fire dragon, you will be able to breathe fire, and you should be able to soon. Ten-years-old is around the age that your element shows itself."

"Okay, when will I fly?"

"That shouldn't be too long either."

A chuckle rumbled out of the father's throat.

"What?" asked his wife…or mate as the title was in this world.

"Nothing," he answered, "It's just going to have to take some getting used to being a dragon again. We were humans for thirteen years, remember?"

"Yes, I know what you mean," she answered as a light snooze began drifting up from the little dragoness that leaned against her right leg under her chest.

* * *

**Author's Blurb:** Well, it seems that Gavin is getting better, and that's good timing considering the information that Terrador and Volteer returned with. Sparx still picks on Cynder it seems, but she appears to put up with him well enough and ends his fun when it crosses lines. Gavin and Flame have some training tomorrow, but, as you read, Gavin won't be able to work on his element because, well, even he doesn't know what it is(but I do. ;) ). What could it be...what could it be?

Who is this family? A fire dragoness and ice dragon from the human world who have a daughter who is a fire dragoness...interesting.

Guess you'll have to keep reading to find out.

~Stick With Me~


	6. Chapter 4: Training, Preparing, Reveals

Chapter 4: Training, Preparing, Brother And Sister

Gavin dodged to the left, then to the right. This earthly ape dummy was getting to be a little too predictable. Or so he thought. He ducked as he thought the earthen dummy was about to give a straight horizontal slash for his neck, but instead the dummy swung its wooden sword lower and smacked Gavin across the face with its flat. The dragon's head snapped to the side from the impact.

"Don't assume that your opponent will always make the same attack," he heard Cyril lecture.

"In a real battle," Terrador threw in, "it's most likely that you won't be facing dummies summoned by our elements."

"Not to mention," Volteer said, "that the weaponry used against you will be much more deadly, lethal, and dangerous. The pirates use silver weaponry."

"And silver is?" Terrador quizzed as Gavin jumped away from the dummy's sword and thwapped it in the side of the head with the flat of his tail blade, a bit awkwardly.

It let out a small growl of anger. These dummies were nearly realistic.

"You said that silver is the metal with the properties that make it easiest to cut through a dragon's scales," Gavin answered as he tackled the dummy while jumping over a low swipe.

He was about to rake his claws across the dummy's throat when he felt its wooden sword jab him in the side. No sooner did this happen that the dummy disappeared. The black dragon's claws clicked against the floor as he fell onto the ground where the dummy had just been laying.

"With that knowledge, what can you guess, infer, and conclude if this had been a real battle against an enemy with a silver blade?" asked Volteer.

Gavin sat on the circle in the middle of the training circle, facing the Guardians, catching his breath. He knew that he could have moved faster with his claws.

"I would probably be in a more considerable amount of pain," he said.

Gavin knew it would probably have been only a short, sharp pain, had this been a real battle, but it would have been one that he probably wouldn't have gotten up from.

"That is why we're training you, so if, and undoubtedly you will, get into a real battle during this war against Gaul and your search for Blizzeara and Ember, you will be able to defend yourself and help to manage a victory over this enemy," said Terrador. "We know what we need to work on with your combat abilities. Now it's Flamaro's turn to be evaluated," he dismissed.

Gavin nodded and stepped out of the training circle as Flamaro walked into it nervously.

"Don't worry," Gavin said as he walked by him, "It's easy, and a little thrilling, as long as you do your best."

Flame nodded and stood on the circle in the middle of the training circle, with its beautiful branching designs, as an earth dummy appeared in front of him.

"Ready?" asked Terrador.

Flame nodded, and the dummy sprang to life.

* * *

Prowlus, the chief cheetah of the Valley of Avalar whose fur was a dark orange color, stood just outside the village's wall, arms crossed, watching the force from Warfang march towards the cheetah village as the sun reached its highest. He had been sent a platoon of five dragons and twenty moles. It may not have looked like much of a defensive force of war, but dragons are very powerful. The moles possessed a great knowledge of crafting, and could be very efficient in battle with the tools and weapons that they forged.

One of the dragons, a fire dragon, who was obviously the main commander of the squad, wore a gold-silver alloy heavy armor consisting of a full torso guard that allowed only his back spines to poke out with a plated tail guard attached and covering his tail.

He wore leg braces above and below his knees and elbows that covered up all four of his very powerful legs, exposing only his heel, front of his elbows, and back of his knees. The top of his forepaws had guards over them that were tied under his digits by durable fiber. His helmet covered his head with only his, mostly, straight horns coming out at a diagonal angle, eyes, nostrils, and lower jaw in show.

His tail had no tip. It had been ripped off during a battle, adding one scar to several others. He also had armored plates running down his neck. His armor was designed very elegantly. The rest of the dragons wore similar battle sets. Only theirs' were made of purely silver and not as elegant.

As for the moles, they were dressed in their own armor. It was of a various alloy mix that provided the best protection for the light weight armor that the moles could carry. They looked like miniature mixtures of a samurai and knight.

Their helmets were rounded to their heads and guarded the sides and back of said area. Their armor was designed sort of like a samurai's, only it was more black than red. They also wore magnification goggles over their eyes that allowed them to see much better than what they could without.

Swords, the size of daggers, were strapped to their hips with mole-sized crossbows on their backs. Like the dragons, the commander mole's armor was much more elegant then the rest with a mole sized sword strapped to either hip. His helmet resembled more of a Roman helmet with its brush on the top running down the center.

If a human, uneducated about the knowledge that the moles held, had come across this group, he would have found the dragons awe striking and the moles rather humorous. They were moles a bit smaller than the size of dwarves, who carried weapons scaled accordingly to their size.

Fortunately, Chief Prowlus knew well of the moles' vast knowledge in architecture and crafting. He had seen them in combat himself during the battle of Warfang and remembered how well a defense they had put up alongside the dragons.

He looked up to the sky as the platoon approached. Off in the distance, he could see the front bows and masts of three very large pirate ships. They hovered in the sky like great wooden clouds awaiting orders to bring rain to the Valley of Avalar.

Prowlus sighed in anxiety. He managed to look up in that direction several times a day; hoping that at some point he would look up and they would be gone, as if they had simply been a trick of the clouds; but each time he looked they were still there, carrying an ominous reminder of what was soon to come. Prowlus was sure that they would attack at any moment, that's why he had ordered the building and drilling of their defenses to be made double time.

They had, so far, managed to bring up most of the front wall and set up temporary housing in the village. They had moved the women, children; and unfit for battle whether it was because of age, disease, or some other matter to a temporary camp that was a good distance away from the village and where the fighting was most likely to take place. The rest had stayed behind as soldiers and seemed to be well trained, disciplined, and by their talk; were ready to die for their home and loved ones. Prowlus could see them sparring in the meadow across the river now. They were using sticks as swords and daggers, while a few were shooting at targets under Hunter's supervision and mentoring.

Hunter; a cheetah with, what we would consider, normal colored fur; was the best archer that Prowlus had. He was also the one cheetah from the village that had provided Spyro and Cynder the most direct aid during the war with Malefor. It had seemed only fitting for him to be the one to sharpen the village's skills in archery and be made the second in command, under Prowlus; especially since he had been the first one to see that the dragons were allies when Prowlus had failed and convinced the village to be against the dragons. It had been a well-made choice. A large improvement was showing, and the chief could see that the arrows were hitting in consistent groups, mostly on or near the bulls-eye.

Chief Prowlus's attention focused on the group that now stood in front of him. He was disappointed to see that Spyro and Cynder were not among them. Although, at first, Prowlus had had his doubts, he was beginning to gain a respect and trust toward the dragon race. Spyro and the former "Terror of the Skies", Cynder, he knew, had become major allies along with the rest of Warfang. That's one reason why he had not doubted that Warfang would send aid. He was sure that those two would have joined in the village's defenses, but where were they? The pirates could attack at any time.

"I most compliment you, Chief Prowlus," said the commander in front of him, "From what I hear, the pirates had laid waste to your village until it was nearly nothing. I see that you have wasted no time in repairs. I am Fvarwal, commander of the war party sent to aid the Valley of Avalar against a possible attack from the pirates and Gaul."

Prowlus said to the dragon, "I thank you for your compliment, Fvarwal, and hope that you will be able to aid us in our repairs, furthermore, before Gaul's forces invade."

Fvarwal nodded deeply. "We would be honored to help in the defense of the allies who aided us in the defense of our home: Warfang. That is why we are here, is it not?"

Prowlus nodded in gratitude, "I am positive that, with your help, we will now be able to have the village defenses up and ready before Gaul can send forth an attack."

* * *

Crystello rubbed his still sore jaw as he looked out over the ship's railing. He could see the beginning of the Valley of Avalar from where he stood on the left attack ship; which was the one to the right when gazing from the front of the fleet. When was Gaul going to give the order to advance? Tonight maybe? The sore ape didn't know.

The Ape King Captain had been careful not to tell his plans to anybody until the orders to execute it were issued. He had started suspecting a traitor among his forces. This was because, no sooner had he given the order to move an attack fleet of three ships to the edge of Avalar, that an armored squadron from Warfang had been spotted, by scouts, marching for the cheetah village. Although the Ape King had expected such a thing to happen, it had happened too fast. He was now holding plans under a more private basis.

Crystello smiled. Wonder who the traitor might be…oh wait! The ape chuckled to himself. It was more like spy rather than traitor, as the said traitor, or traitors, were only acting like they had ever wanted to be a part of Gaul's forces, but those were just the details. No one suspected the correct baboon, or baboons as it should be, as the traitors. He and his ally had put on very good pirates so far, slurring their speech, speaking improperly, drinking; but not too much to where they couldn't hold their cups; and working about the ships as if it were their normal behavior.

Crystello wore a classic pirate captain uniform. He wore a brown, undone waistcoat over a white shirt that was tucked into his black pants that were, in turn, tucked into his high, buckled black boots. A sword hung from his pants' large buckled belt under his waistcoat and a triangular hat sat on his head with its point pointing forward.

"Aye, Captain!" came a voice behind him.

Was he receiving orders to attack? No, that couldn't be, the orders would be sent to Malick on the middle ship first and then ordered by him to carry out. Crystello turned around to face a smaller baboon with a familiar and similar face.

The baboon wore a white shirt that was tattered at the sleeves and tucked into a pair of white and red vertically striped pants. He also wore black boots that the pants fell over with a dagger hanging from his largely buckled belt. A red bandanna wrapped around his head.

"Oh, Sharder, I should have recognized your voice."

"Watch yer speech, Captain Crystello," said Sharder.

Crystello cleared his throat at his brother's point. That could have been a big mistake had anyone else heard.

"Do ye bring news from Captain and King Gaul?" he asked.

"Nay," answered the imposter pirate, "but I do bring news of the two dragons. Gaul had 'em battle this morning. Both left the battle unscathed. I cannot say the same for ther opponents."

Crystello nodded. He was keeping good watch over those two, making sure that none of the other pirates harassed them and even sneaking extra food and supplies to them when needed. They were allies, and he was treating them like so. However, he made sure they were sleeping before he left the sacks in their cell. Even they couldn't know who the "traitor" pirates were, at least not yet. It would be too risky.

* * *

Gavin dodged to the left, wrapped his tail around the dummy's sword, and yanked it right out of its hands. The earthen dummy lunged to try to retrieve its sword from the dragon, but only managed to expose its side, which the dragon quickly swiped with his claws. Gavin felt his sharp claws tear across the dummy's earthly flesh. Luckily, it only felt like he was tearing grass, but he knew that, with the real thing, it would have felt much more different and nauseating.

The dummy jumped away, as if it actually felt the pain, and glared at Gavin. The dragon, in turn, tossed the wooden sword aside and returned the glare. They stood there for several seconds until finally, and stupidly, the dummy charged. Gavin smiled, lowered his head, and popped the dummy up, with his horns, as it came within reach.

Quickly, the black dragon jumped up, snagged his teeth into the dummy's dirt-like clothes, flipped, and slammed it into the ground. Being on top, Gavin quickly spun around and slipped his sharp tail across the earthly ape's throat. He hopped off as the dummy disappeared along with its flung sword.

This performance received good and very good jobs from all the dragons watching. Even Sparx admitted that the move had been pretty sweet. Gavin just smiled and dipped his head modestly. He stepped out of the circle, it was Flame's turn.

The fire dragon stood in the center of the circle as a new earthly ape dummy appeared in front of him. He wasn't questioned on whether or not he was ready, the dummy simply attacked. Flamaro jumped backwards, lifted up onto his hind legs, and shot forward in a, fiery, comet dash when his paws hit the floor. Spyro and Cynder had been successful in further developing the dragon's fire element and teaching him how to manipulate and use it.

The earth ape was knocked off of its feet and landed on its back, singed, a small distance away. It quickly jumped up and charged back into its battle. Flame jumped up and used his wings to flip himself. His hind legs hit the dummy in the chest with a swift and painful kick. The dummy stumbled backwards, but kept its balance. Flamaro landed gracefully back onto his feet and went into a dragonish attack stance, waiting for the fake ape to make a move. Idiotically, it did. It slashed at the dragon with its sword. Flame ducked and knocked the ape into the air with his horns.

The dummy let out a scream as Flame grabbed it by its neck and raked against its stomach with his hind claws several times, using his wings to give him just a few seconds more of air time. The fire dragon threw the dummy to the ground while jumping to the side. He landed on his feet, turned around, and unleashed a fiery breath onto the defeated dummy. As the flames began to engulf it, the earthen dummy disappeared. Flame's performance also received good jobs and a sweet.

"Both your skills in combat have improved greatly," said Terrador to Gavin and Flamaro.

As you may have already guessed, or maybe not, Flame did about as well on his first evaluation test as Gavin did.

Cyril said, "We have successfully, and most likely miraculously, trained you in the fighting arts within one day. Although there is always room for improvement, I noticed that both of your grips on the dummies were a little loose, I would be one bold enough to say that you are ready to be sent to Avalar to help against Gaul and his forces."

Volteer spoke next, "I concur to the most. To me, it appears that the odds have slipped, tipped, and moved even further away from Gaul's favor. He now has two newly trained, young, strong dragons, allied with the duo that successfully defeated the Dark Master, Malefor, against him."

The three other young dragons joined Flamaro in the middle of the circle. Both Flame and Gavin wore small grins.

"Now, there are only two matters more that we need to take care of today," said Terrador as he looked at the black, male dragon, "Gavin, you have wings, and it would be wise to know how to use them for their main purpose. It is time for you to learn to fly."

Gavin's eyes lit brighter. Flying without an airplane was something a human would dream about. Gavin was now a dragon. He had wings. He could fly. He just had to learn how to do so. Question quickly entered the young dragon's head. "Wait, how will I learn?"

"What do you mean, 'how will I learn?" said Cyril, "It's in your blood. Just close your eyes and clear your thoughts, the whispers of the ancestors will show you."

"But I was born a human. Doesn't that mean that I'm not of the ancestors' blood? Wouldn't I, instead, be of human blood still? If that makes sense…"

The Guardians exchanged looks. He did have a bit of a point. They looked back to the young dragon.

"Try," said Terrador simply.

Gavin didn't argue. He closed his eyes and cleared his head. After several minutes of nothing, Gavin was just about to open his eyes. That is, until he noticed that he was in new surroundings.

He hadn't opened his eyes, yet he saw everything as plain as day. It was as if he had stepped into a dream. It was the most real feeling dream he had ever been in. The black dragon looked around. He was in some sort of void. It looked familiar. He thought for a second. It was warm and various platforms floated around.

Gavin looked to what was in front of him. He sat on a large platform of stone at the foot of a small, raised, circular metal platform. On it was some sort of glowing symbol that resembled a radiant beam of light.

That's it! He had been summoned into a dream by the Chronicler. Just like Spyro had been several times before in _Eternal Night_, but why was it warm? Hadn't Spyro said, the first time he entered the dream, that it had been cold, or was that because he had entered the dream that awakened his ice element?

Gavin couldn't remember for sure, maybe the Chronicler before Ignitus had been an ice dragon. Maybe that's why, since Ignitus was a fire dragon, things were warm instead of cold. Or was it because the element of light would be a warm element?

Anyways, Gavin knew that he only had to do one thing to get started. The excited dragon stepped up and sat on the platform. Instantly, he felt warm energy rush through him, as if the power of the sun was starting to flow through his veins.

The black dragon tucked his head into his chest and wrapped his wings tightly around it as the energy built up. When he felt it peak he bolted to his hind legs, snapping his wings out and head up. A very bright burst of light and energy was released from his body, forming a large bubble of warm, yellow light around the dragon and stone platform.

"Well," he said to himself, "looks like the Guardians have met another creature that hasn't been thought to really exist until now: a dragon with the element of light."

The bright bubble faded, and Gavin went back onto all fours.

"Very good, young dragon," he heard a wise voice echo through the void, "I see that you are wasting no time in figuring things out."

Several platforms lined up from his. They formed a line that led to a large circular door that glowed in the center, like the doors from the Dragon Temple in the swamp. He saw another line of platforms extend from another large platform, that was higher up and farther off, and connect to the door as well. A black dragoness began walking across it as Gavin began walking across his. They met at the door.

"Well, this isn't exactly learning how to fly," Gavin said to Cynder.

"No, but you've awakened your element. That's worth something. What's amazing is that it's the element of light!" Cynder had seen the whole thing from her platform.

"I'm sorry to interrupt," came the wise voice again. It was the Chronicler's voice, Ignitus, "but I have something I need to show you two. Now, I know that it will be a bit dramatic, and I'm sorry that I won't be able to explain it; as I am not able to take too much time; some sort of power seems to be blocking my communication abilities; some sort of dark power; but you should be able to get at least one or two revelations from it."

The door in front of the two dragons opened to reveal what looked like a grotto. It was a grotto that had a Pool of Visions in the center of the floor, like the one in the swamp. A shelf that ringed the room and came out of the floor and wall was lined with some sort of soft material that upon which laid dragon eggs.

"Please, enter," came Ignitus's voice.

The two dragons obeyed. Once they stepped through the door, which deposited them at the raised rim of the Pool of Visions, they heard the sound of it closing. Both dragons turned around to look, only to see that the door was gone, as if it had never been there. In a sense, it hadn't. There was a door farther back set into the wall behind them. It obviously wasn't the one they had just walked through.

Gavin surveyed the room. It was a grotto alright. Elegantly decorated and designed, but it seemed oddly familiar. Suddenly, a memory flashed before Gavin's eyes. He saw the eggs being crushed by baboons as the Guardians lay unconscious. One ape was examining a black egg which he quickly tucked under his arm and took off with, all the other monkeys following. Gavin's eyes suddenly fell to an elegant, cushioned, golden bowl to their left. It was set within a large golden hollow that had an arched top in the wall. In the table sat an egg...a purple egg. Above this hung a purple banner that had a symbol on it. The set-up looked almost like an altar with three purple steps leading up to the purple ground that the table with the egg stood on.

"Cynder," he said, "I think we're in the Grotto in the Dragon Temple in the swamp."

Cynder looked around. "How's that possible? No one's been in the swamp's Temple recently besides us. Why would there be so many eggs?"

As soon as she finished her sentence, the door behind them opened and in walked a dragon.

It wasn't the Chronicler, Ignitus, but it was the Fire Guardian, Ignitus. A look of worry and fear was in his eyes as he walked over to the purple egg. Gavin knew instantly what was going on.

"That's because we're not in the present. Cynder, I think we're in a vision of the past."

"Okay, how would you know that?"

"Two things," answered Gavin, "One, this very scene is the opening to _A New Beginning. _Two, look at the egg that Ignitus is picking up."

Cynder looked and realized that the egg Ignitus had was a purple one. "Is that…"

"Yes," answered Gavin, "that's Spyro's egg."

"So, what does this all mean?"

"I'm not sure yet…"

Both dragons sat down as Ignitus hurried out of the room after Volteer walked in and told him that the Dark Master's forces had come, the door closed by itself behind him and Volteer exited the room hurriedly as well by another door. While Gavin and Cynder waited for what would happen next, they surveyed the room again. They saw all kinds of eggs. Fire dragon eggs, electric dragon eggs, ice dragon, earth.

There appeared to even be eggs of mixed elements. Of course, when the egg hatched, the dragon would only inherit one of his or her parent's elements, but they might inherit a mixed color.

For example, a dragon born to parents of earth and ice might either have earthly-brown scales with icy-blue here and there or vice versa. Gavin thought on that a second. What happens when you mix blue with red? You get purple. Had Spyro's parents been a fire and ice dragon? Something to think about, he supposed.

The dragon and dragoness's eyes fell onto a particular clutch. It was a small clutch of two eggs, but that's not what caught their attention. It was the color of the eggs that held their gaze. They were black. Two black eggs sat right next to each other.

"Cynder, I think one of those is you."

Gavin heard Cynder swallow, it wasn't every day that you saw your own egg. Her mind processed that she was seeing not just one, but two black eggs.

"So, that means I could have had a sibling?" Cynder asked.

Gavin bit his lip, was this revelation one of the possible two that Ignitus had mentioned? If so, it was kind of painful.

"I guess so," answered Gavin, softly.

Another door opened, Ignitus couldn't be back already, he would return after Malefor's forces raided the Temple. It must just be one of the other Guardians checking up on the Grotto or hurrying through. The door that had opened was near Cynder and her sibling's egg, it was the one on the right of the room that led to the library. Through it walked not one of the Guardians, but a large humanoid figure.

He wore a purple cloak that was embroidered with the symbols of the elements and had its hood upturned. The figure was in a hurry. With an apish hand he seemed to, at random, grab the egg that sat beside Cynder's. He cradled the egg as if it were precious, which it was, and hurried out the same door that Ignitus had gone.

"Sharder, hurry!" he called as he slipped through the door.

Why had his voice sounded familiar?

"Follow him," Gavin and Cynder heard Ignitus's voice echo. They stood up and ran after the figure, following him through one of the doors in the Grotto.

Cynder stopped in the doorway and turned back to look at her egg. She knew what was soon to happen. She knew, or at least thought she knew, that her's and Spyro's egg had been the sole survivors of Malefor's forces' attack, but what of this egg that they were chasing? Why hadn't they been told about it before?

Gavin stopped and looked back. "Cynder, come on!" he called.

The dragoness turned and ran after the black dragon who, in turn, ran after the cloaked figure carrying the egg. They followed him out of the Temple and into the swamp where he met up with two other dragons. They were silhouetted in the night and swamp, so Gavin and Cynder could only make out their basic shape.

"Sharder is grabbing your other egg. He should be here any minute. I must return to the Grotto and…."

An apish roar, the kind that the apes would give off in the first two TLoS games, interrupted the figure's sentence. The sound of cracking egg shells and fighting could be heard from the Temple. A gasp came from the female of the two dragons.

"Maybe he got the egg before they arrived," stated the figure positively.

They waited anxiously for this "Sharder's" arrival. Both Gavin and Cynder knew that he wouldn't come. After a while, the silhouetted dragoness laid her head against her mate's side and began to sob softly. The mate wrapped a wing around her.

"I-I'm sorry," said the figure. Was that Crystello's voice?

He gently laid the egg between the two dragons and hurried towards the Temple, quickly stripping his cloak to reveal that he was wearing armor underneath with a sword attached to his hip.

It was a baboon that Gavin recognized. That very ape had given him a, very hard headed, head-butt with a head ache afterwards. Gavin had also kicked that very ape in the jaw, knocking him unconscious. Why was Crystello helping the Guardians? Had he once been their ally and then turned against them? That question would not be answered during this vision.

Crystello stopped quickly and turned around as he heard a crackling sound coming from behind him. Energy was forming around the two dragons and egg. The dragoness cuddled the egg protectively, looking around at the energy in fear and wonder as, suddenly, in a great flash of light and electricity, they disappeared. Just like that: poof.

"Wha-what just happened?" Gavin heard Cynder ask from beside him, "Where'd they go?"

"I-I don't know," was all he could answer.

Crystello picked himself up from off the swampy ground. A stray bolt of lightning had struck him in the left shoulder, burning a whirlpool-like scar into it. The ape touched the scar, and suddenly disappeared, leaving Gavin and Cynder alone in this vision of the past.

The whole scene changed. A black egg filled their vision. This time, Gavin and Cynder felt more like they were in a dream then they had in the Temple. They couldn't move let alone feel their bodies. They wouldn't have averted their gaze even if they could have anyway, because the egg twitched.

It lay in a basket that was filled with hay. It twitched again. It was hatching. A small crack formed in it as the creature inside tried to get out. From that crack sprouted multiple others. A small section was pushed out and caved in here, another there. Finally, the egg burst into pieces. A new born hatchling sprawled out onto the hay, his eyes still closed as he thrashed about trying to get his stomach and legs under him and both of his wings above.

If Gavin and Cynder could have seen each other's faces, they would have seen sheer shock. No sooner did the little black dragon hatch out of his shell and lay upright, that his figure began to twist and crawl.

"What's happening to him?" they heard a feminine voice say.

Gavin's breath caught in his throat. Why was his mom talking?

"The same thing that happened to us when we arrived: he's changing into a human," answered a male voice.

Dad?

The newborn's figure stopped twisting and crawling. In its place lay a tiny human baby.

"What should we call him?" asked the voice of Gavin's dad.

"I want something unique," said Mom.

"How about….Crystilline?" offered Dad.

A deep, apish laugh was heard.

"No, sorry Crystello," came Mother's voice.

"That's quite alright," replied the voice of Crystello in a chuckle.

"I have an idea," said Mom, "How about..." There was a pause, as if Gavin's mom was weighing the idea she had before she said it. It was torture to Gavin and played suspense to Cynder.

"...Gavin?" she finally said.

Gavin's heart stopped as the question in his mind was confirmed.

Whhaat?

Suddenly Gavin's eyes popped open. He was met by the relieved gaze of Flamaro who quickly announced, "He's awake!"

"So is Cynder!" came Spyro's voice.

Both black dragons sat up and looked, wide eyed, at each other. They now knew the truth of why Gavin looked so much like Cynder. The stupefied dragon stared into Cynder's emerald green eyes with a mouth hanging open in dumbfoundment. She returned the stare into Gavin's hazel eyes to its full. A stronger feeling of closeness was shared by both dragons. They were staring into the eyes of a brother and sister.

* * *

**Author's Blurb:** No wonder Gavin and Cynder looked so similar. They're brother and sister! Gavin was a dragon since his beginning. His egg was laid in the dragon world, he hatched in the human world, and turned into a human like his parents! Well then...look's like Cynder has found a family member in that swamp...or the family member found her; but why were they sent to the human world, and how?

Then there's the fact that Crystello is an infiltrator. He's not really on Gaul's side; and his brother, Sharder is with him; but Gavin and the rest of them don't know that...and Crystello has put into their minds that he _is_ an adversary. He's keeping the fact that he and his brother are really traitor's well...at least they're taking care of the two other dragons...who must be Blizzeara and Ember...right?

It's good that Warfang has sent help to Chief Prowlus and the village, and it seems that they are getting their defenses up and those who are to fight trained well.

~Stick With Me~


	7. Chapter 5: He Will Never Leave Us

Chapter 5: Remembering That God Will Never Leave Nor Forsake Us

Gavin laid on his bed, his mind spinning at the revelation that he and Cynder had been shown. Brother. He was Cynder's brother. He was brother to the dragoness who had been controlled by Malefor, saved by Spyro, recaptured by Gaul, saved again, fallen in love with the purple dragon, and helped to defeat the Dark Master. As if just meeting the two heroes hadn't been enough, he was related to one of them!

If this had been the only thought invading Gavin's mind, he may have fallen asleep easily, but with this thought others were raised. If he was born a dragon, that meant he had never belonged on the Earth inhabited by humans. His home was never really his true home, never really where he belonged. Of course, he had made himself comfortable, but his true home, he realized, was right where he was now, in this world of dragons. His true form was not that of a human, but of a dragon! The Vinesca crystal hadn't been calling him into a new world, it had been calling him home!

Okay, if that was the case, what about his family? When he, if he, found a way to get "home" would they instead just come here? That would take away a tough decision. What if they were already here? Were they? Gavin didn't know. How could he?

Another thought swirled around Gavin's head: who was Crystello? Obviously he had once been an ally to the Guardians and his very own parents, but what had happened? Had he simply turned evil? Had he been corrupted? If so, it had to have happened sometime after Gavin's hatching...hatching...oh, things were going to be so very different from here on out.

How did Crystello get back? Had he found a Vinesca crystal himself and used it to come back? Maybe it had something to do with his scar. He hadn't entered the human's world until he had touched it. Had he received something like teleportation abilities? Oh, Ignitus, why couldn't you have just explained everything, and what did you mean when you said that some sort of dark power was blocking your communication abilities!?

The dragon took a breath. He needed to clear his head. Maybe some reading would do the trick. He got up, walked out of his room and into the boys' dorm hallway, and from there into the multi-purpose, training dojo.

Gavin looked around the room. The door directly across from the boys' dorm was the storage room for various items like spare millows and book shelves. To the right of that door was the armory in which was stored armor, of course, and various tools and weapons.

The troubled dragon noticed that the door to the far left of the room was open. Had someone forgotten to close it? Gavin knew that was unlikely and walked over to it.

The door led to the Temple's large courtyard. It had stone pathways and various trees and shrubbery. A dragon sized, iron wrought gate was on the opposite side of the courtyard from the door. There was even an elegantly crafted birdbath erected in various dragon shapes here and there. Gavin saw that Cynder was in the courtyard, lying under one of the trees and gazing at the stars.

The black dragon trotted over to his sister who he had missed thirteen years of life from.

Cynder looked to her brother as he laid down next to her.

"You know, we have a big day tomorrow, you should probably be getting your sleep," said he.

"What about you?" said his sister inquiringly.

Gavin clicked his tongue, "Alright, you got me." He smiled.

They both turned their gaze to the stars.

"What are you doing out here anyway?" asked Gavin.

"Too much going on in my mind," replied the dragoness, "with finding out that you're my brother, what Ignitus said about some sort of dark power, thoughts of the war, knowing that my parents are alive; all kinds of questions and thoughts."

Gavin nodded. "Me too, I was just going to see if reading would help to calm my thoughts, but found you out here instead."

The brother and sister stared at the stars for a bit longer in silence.

"What are they like?" asked Cynder suddenly.

"Come again?" said Gavin, not sure of whom "they" were.

"Mom and Dad," she answered, turning her eyes to her brother's.

"Well," Gavin began, "they both are very loving and, as long as it wasn't just an act, I'm beginning to wonder about the truth of certain things in my life, they have Christian standards."

"Which means?" inquired Cynder, unsure of what those kinds of standards were.

"They are very good natured and kind hearted people…er…dragons," answered Gavin.

"They sound nice," said Cynder, a little dreamily.

"That's basically what I just said they were."

"I know."

They stared up at the stars a little longer.

"Oh!" Gavin exclaimed.

"What?"

"You have a sister."

"I do?" Cynder's voice contained surprise.

"Yeah, her name is GraceeMae, but you can call her Gracee or Grace for short."

Cynder beamed. "I have a sister," she stated excitedly in awe.

They returned their sights to the stars again and, hesitantly, Cynder laid her head against her brother's. She felt his wing lovingly wrap around her.

It was weird, having feelings like this towards a male dragon other than Spyro, but Gavin was her brother, and it felt...right; the way that things were supposed to be. Being in the wings of her blood family was a place Cynder had thought she would only be able to be after she joined them with the ancestors, but she had thought wrong. Gavin was here, alive and breathing, with a warm body; and from what he said, her parents and even a sister were somewhere out there too! Alive instead of dead!

"Thanks," she said.

"For what?" Gavin said in his turn to inquire.

"For being alive," answered Cynder.

"Well," said Gavin, her loving brother, "it wasn't too hard. I didn't have the threat of pirates or apes hunting me down and turning me into a slave or anything."

Cynder allowed herself a small giggle as she curled up under her brother's wing.

"All I had to do was listen to the adults, have good behavior, and make friends," finished Gavin.

"It sounds like it was nice…" he heard Cynder say a bit pensively.

After Gavin said this he thought a bit. What would happen to his friends? It wasn't likely that they were also dragons turned into humans. Would they forget about him? Probably not. At least he hoped not...that would be a little saddening to him. Then what would happen? Would he be able to see them again, at least one more time, to tell them that he was happy and going to his true home? Would they somehow just know? Gavin would have to pray for…that raised another question, one that truly made Gavin stop. He looked at the cross that hung around his neck.

It is stated in Deuteronomy 31:6 and Hebrews 13:5 in the Good Book that God will never leave you nor forsake you, but Gavin had been born a dragon, not a human who is made in the image of God. He had been turned into a human, but because he really was a dragon, had God ever been with him? Gavin gripped the cross with his left paw and looked to Cynder.

"Cynder," he said, and then realized that her breathing was deep. The black dragoness had fallen asleep under her brother's warm and loving wing. Gavin smiled at his sister then turned his gaze to the stars in the sky, the smile slowly dripping off of his face.

"Lord, forgive me for doubting, but I must be sure. I was born a dragon and turned into a human. Were you ever really with me, or was it just my ancestors or something like that? I know that you want us to believe with all of our heart and soul by faith alone, but Lord, I just don't know. How was I supposed to know that my dragonish fantasizing would come true? I used to be fully positive towards you, and I still am, but with everything that's happened so far, questions like this are creeping in. I'm sure that you are the force out there that watches over all, but am I still included with your people? Please, change my doubt into knowing."

Gavin's gaze stayed towards the sky, listening, waiting, calming. Finally he heard a noise to his left. His head snapped towards the sound. Flamaro froze with one paw lifted into his next step.

"Sorry," he said, setting his paw down, "I didn't mean to sneak up on you, but I didn't want to interrupt."

"Thanks for being courteous," said Gavin with a grateful tone.

"Human's believe in gods?" asked Flame.

"It depends on your beliefs," answered Gavin, "Some believe in gods while others send prayers to ancestors. I, personally, was raised into the Christian belief. I believe in the One, True God."

That's right, Gavin's parents, who were dragons, had raised him into Christianity. Didn't that have to mean that God had been with him? It had to. Gavin believed in the One, True God. He smiled and let go of his necklace.

God works in strange ways. Even though Gavin was a dragon who had been a former human that had formerly been born a dragon, He had already given him a reminder that hinted Gavin's answer.

"I will never leave you, nor will I forsake you," Gavin whispered to himself.

No sooner had he had the doubt that it was erased. He would continue to believe and use the standards of a Christian.

Gavin focused back on Flamaro. "And why are _you_ up so late?"

"I had a dream about my sister and woke up. I miss her so much, and can't help but wonder what she's going through." Flame stared at his paws.

Gavin really felt for the poor orphan. What would he have done if his sister had been captured by pirates, well…his other sister, and forced to compete in sadistic fighting matches purely for the pirates' entertainment?

"Flame, do you need a hug?" Gavin lifted his left wing, which was the one closest to Flame and the one that Cynder wasn't under, from his side.

Flame looked up, nodded, and walked over to lay down next to Gavin. The black dragon wrapped his wing around the worried Flamaro and hugged the red dragon to his side in bro-like consolation. "Hey, just think, she's with Ember. I bet, with a friend, she's pulling through just fine. At least we know that the pirates have her. That takes away a little of the suspense, knowing where she is for the most part. We'll free her from Gaul, don't worry."

"Thanks," said the red dragon.

They both looked up towards the stars, and soon, three sleeping dragons could be found in the Temple of Warfang's courtyard; the one in the middle covering, with his wings, a sister and friend in a three-way dragonish embrace.

* * *

Spyro yawned as he slowly woke from his sleep. The sun was just now coming over the horizon. What light came through the gray clouds in the sky left the garden area outside his window darker than the rest of the world.

* * *

Let me give you a quick architectural lay-out of the Dragon Temple in Warfang that hasn't been explained yet. You know that the boy's rooms on the side of Flamaro and Gavin's room look out towards the city, but what about the other boy's rooms and the girl's rooms. How do they have windows? The rest of the boy's rooms look towards the girls' dorm and the girl's rooms look towards the boys' dorm and other section of the Temple. Let me explain.

The boys' and girls' dorms and other section of the Temple are spaced. In those spaces are open grounds of grass that have been turned into garden areas that are growing trees and flowers, shrubs and bushes, the stuff that you would find in a garden. There are also birdbaths like the ones in the courtyard scattered here and there. The Guardians hope to start growing dragon roses in these areas and possibly the courtyard.

So, the boy's rooms windows that are on the same side as Spyro's room look out to this garden area and the girls' dorm. The other girl's rooms that aren't looking towards the boys' dorm look out onto another garden area and another section of the Temple.

Also, at the end of both dorms' hallways, there are doors, like all the other doors in the Temple, which access another hallway section. From that hallway section you can access the doors that lead to the garden areas.

* * *

The purple dragon saw it better to get woken up for the day than to try to catch a few last minutes of sleep. He stood up, stretched, and walked out of his room and dorm and into the training area. He noticed that the door on the wall to his left was open. He walked over and saw, out of the door, two dragons sleeping out in the courtyard. Gavin and Flame were the two that he saw immediately. He didn't see Cynder because she was curled up on the other side of Gavin under his wing.

Gavin lifted his head, yawned, blinked a bit, and laid back down. Cynder and Flame still snuggled against his flanks. Spyro trotted over to the group.

"Hey, what about me?" he asked the, slowly waking, black dragon playfully after realizing that Cynder was also lying by his side.

Gavin blinked open his eyes and raised his head. He looked from Cynder to Flame and back to Spyro.

"Well, uh, although it may not be comfortable because of my spines, if you don't find it awkward curling up on my back, go ahead." He smiled. "Then again, I'm pretty sure my sister wouldn't mind if you laid down next to her."

Spyro returned the smile. "I don't think she would mind either."

Spyro laid down beside Cynder as she began to blink open her eyes. Soon, Flame did the same.

Since everyone was awakening, Gavin stood up and stretched. He stretched his legs, then his back, and finally his wings and tail. Even though he hadn't fallen asleep until late, Gavin had actually slept well after talking with Cynder and Flame. He sat down as Flame sat up. Cynder uncurled, but stayed lying beside Spyro.

"So, how long will it take us to get to Avalar while flying?" asked Gavin.

Spyro looked up at the cloudy and gray morning sky. Rain was in the air, amplifying all the other smells around the courtyard.

"In clear weather," he said, "it usually takes about half a day. Our armor will slow us down, but only by a bit."

The other matter that had been taken care of yesterday was having Gavin and Flame fitted for armor.

"If it rains, depending on how much of a storm it is, we could be slowed down by that too. As long as the rain's not too heavy, we should arrive at Avalar sometime past midday to dusk."

A brief time later, the Guardians awoke and served breakfast: meat and some fruit. Quickly after the meal, four dragons; along with the dragonfly, Sparx; were armored, airborne; Gavin had awakened with the knowledge of how to fly after experiencing the vision that he and Cynder had been shown; and were on their way to Avalar as a light rain began to fall.

* * *

**Author's Blurb:** God will never leave you nor will He forsake you. These words are true.

Cynder seems to be very happy. I probably would too if I had gone through life not knowing my family plus not knowing whether or not they were alive and then all of sudden learning that my family is alive after learning that who I met is my brother.

Poor Flame really misses Blizzeara; it appears that they, brother and sister, share a close affection and bond with each other. That's good.

Will they find them?

What's in store in Avalar?

~Stick With Me~


	8. Chapter 6: Roses As Weapons

Chapter 6: Roses As Weapons

Gaul's staff swept over the wet grass in front of him while the rain came down. As he did so, hundreds of all the kinds of dragon roses formed up from the ground, causing the open area of grass to color in whites, greens, blacks, light blues, yellows, and reds. Although it was beautiful, these roses were to be used as a possible weapon against the apes' draconic enemies. Even the greens would be used in some manner.

Gaul smiled as he walked over to the large stream that fed into a waterfall that led, ultimately, into the Valley of Avalar. This is where he had made the white dragon roses appear, some growing into the water. Already they were tinting the small river a milky white with their pollen and powders. Any dragon that drank from this water would surely be put to sleep. The scarred and riddled King Captain turned to his second in command who was watching, silently, nearby.

"What do you think of our work, Malick?" he asked in his raspy growl.

"I don't understand," replied the large, snow white baboon…with a quizzical air, "they're just plants."

Gaul smiled at his loyal, armored right hand. "Do not underestimate these roses. The yellow ones alone," he said, pointing to the area that the yellow roses had grown in, "will cause a dragon to become extremely sick and regurgitate almost incessantly."

"What of the white rose?" asked Malick curiously...yet knowingly.

"The white rose," explained Gaul, "will put a dragon into a deep sleep."

Malick looked to the white roses with a keen eye. "And how do they work?"

Gaul looked to the snow white ape with a small, evil smile.

"You know how they work as much as I do...master," said the ape.

Malick smiled at the supposed Ape King Captain and said, "Yes, I have taught you well. You have learned much of this world and the other, and are growing stronger in your powers."

The great ape bowed his head, suddenly looking lesser than the white ape standing before him.

Malick addressed him, "Back in the fighting pit, you surprised me when you said that they would earn the rank of second in command."

Gaul was apologetic. "I had to make everything seem real. I wouldn't have really given them the rank. I would have killed them on the spot. Those dragons are too dangerous, that cheetah is too great an ally to them, and that human seemed lethal. You understand?"

The snowy ape smiled. "Yes, I understand, but you wouldn't have killed them on the spot. If things had gone our way, I would have had something special for the winner: maybe torture, maybe letting them look on their dead allies: the ones that they had killed; maybe I really would have put them under our control; then again, maybe we would have really killed them." He thought for a few seconds then said, "Hmmm...it's too bad we had to kill the human. Like you said, he seemed to have had potential."

Gaul replied, "Things didn't go our way."

"No, they didn't," said Malick. He walked over, bent down, and plucked a white dragon rose from the ground. Instantly another white dragon rose took its place.

Malick smiled and praised Gaul beside him. "Well done."

Gaul replied to the praise gratefully. "Thank you."

The white ape sniffed the rose, and nothing happened. "Isn't it great when something like these can't effect against you?" he said as they began returning to the ship. The white rose in his hand disappeared into thin air, and the scarred ape beside him began to look the greater of the two again.

* * *

"Powlus!" A cheetah ran up to the open shelter where Fvarwal, Chief Prowlus, and Mosheair; the mole who was second in command of the platoon from Warfang; were planning their defenses in.

"What is it, Lionel?" Prowlus asked.

The cheetah's eyes were full of panic. "The dragons, they-they just dropped!"

"What do you mean 'they just dropped?" asked Prowlus calmly.

"After reinforcing half of the village's front walls, we all went down to get a drink from the river."

Thanks to the help of the dragons and moles, the village's walls had all been rebuilt. The moles were, again, proving their supreme knowledge of architecture, and the cheetahs had been able to begin reinforcing their defensive structures.

"After we got our drinks we were going to start on reinforcing the other half, but three of the dragons began acting…weird. Their heads and eyelids were drooping, and they seemed like they were having trouble standing up. All at once they just suddenly…dropped off of their feet to the ground. They are still breathing, but won't wake up. Come quick!"

Mosheair hopped down from the stool that he stood on. Prowlus had meant no disrespect to the mole, it had simply been necessary so that he could also see the map that was laid out on the table. He, Prowlus, and Fvarwal stepped out from under the shelter into the steady rain and followed Lionel outside the village's walls to the river where the four other armored dragons of Warfang's platoon were.

The river in Avalar was small and could also be described as a large stream. Due to it flowing so fast, however, the cheetahs, and most others, called it a river. Three dragons lay unconscious around the river: two on one side and one on the other with a still conscious dragon nudging him worriedly; trying to get him to wake. These were the two that the leaders of Avalar's forces came to first. They were on the side of the river nearest the village.

"Erthal, I don't think it's working," said Fvarwal to the still awake soldier as they approached.

"No sir, I don't think it is either," said the dragon, stopping and standing at attention.

He was a younger earth dragon. In human years, he was only eighteen, just old enough to be in the army. He had dark green scales with crests coming out here and there, looking almost like nature's growth, and a light green chest; all hidden under his armor. His tail had several sharp spikes near its tip, looking like a dinosaur's from the ancient times of our world.

The crest running along his spine, and poking out of his armor, was the classic dragon crest of the legends, myths, and fantasies of our world. It was a continuous crest that ran from his head, all along his spine, down to the tip of his tail, stopping before his tail spikes, and forming up into points variably.

His wings were dark green, almost, but not quite, brown with a membrane that was noticeably, but not too much, lighter. His horns curved up, out of his head and helmet, and back around to the sides of his face, like a ram's. His body build was that of a smaller earth dragon. He was still powerful, yes, but, and even though the Guardian was older, compared to Terrador, Erthal was smaller. He would, however, bulk up as he aged.

Erthal had simply pulled lucky to actually be in Fvarwal's platoon. A dragon, higher in command than Fvarwal, had insisted that the young dragon be in his war party. The dragon insister had been Erthal's dad. The young soldier had no idea that that was the reason why he was in Fvarwal's platoon. He thought that Commander Fvarwal had simply seen something in him worth helping the aid of Avalar's defense. The commander thought that the kid was going to be a burden and was slightly disappointed that he was the dragon who hadn't fallen unconscious.

Fvarwal examined the comatose soldier, who was an ice dragon, at his paws.

Prowlus looked to Lionel. "You said this happened after they drank from the river?"

Lionel nodded. "Yes, sir."

Prowlus looked to the armored, conscious, younger dragon. "Erthal, did you drink from the river?" he asked.

Erthal shook his head. "No, sir. I almost did, but noticed that Eis here was acting funny. When I asked him what was wrong, he said that he suddenly felt exhausted, and then just fell over."

Fvarwal stood up. "He's merely asleep," he said, confused.

Prowlus knelt down to the water's edge and cupped some of the water to his mouth. He noticed that it had a slight murky-white tint to it. When the water touched Prowlus's tongue, he immediately spit it out. The cheetah had noticed an off taste. "The water has been tainted. With what, I do not know," he said.

"Let me see," said Erthal. The young earth dragon swished his paw around in the water a bit with his eyes closed. He opened them and looked to Fvarwal. "White dragon rose," he stated.

"And how would you know that for sure?" asked Mosheair.

"I'm an earth dragon, sir," answered Erthal while lifting his paw from the water, "That kind of knowing ability comes with my element."

Fvarwal let out a sigh. "Then there's no knowing when they'll wake up." He said while looking to the earth dragon, "Help me get these three into the village. They are not safe out here."

The young soldier nodded as he hovered off the ground and grabbed his comrade's hind paws with his forepaws. Fvarwal took up his forepaws and the two began hovering the ice dragon towards the village. They would have to make two more trips after this one.

Chief Prowlus looked around at the cheetahs that had gathered. "Get back to work. They will be okay." The crowd dispersed.

Lionel asked Prowlus before he went back to working on the village walls, "White dragon rose puts you to sleep, right? How come it did not affect you?"

"It did, but only slightly. The water diluted the effect of the pollens and powders. The small amount that touched my tongue only managed to make me feel in need of a short and light rest," answered the Chief.

"Oh," said Lionel, "How did dragon rose get into the water?"

Prowlus looked up to the three pirate ships floating in the sky. They seemed closer than the last time he had looked. "I don't know how he managed it, but I am sure that this is of Gaul's doing," was the answer. Prowlus looked back at Lionel. "Keep an eye on those ships," he said while pointing to them, "Report to me if they get any closer."

Lionel gave a quick nod and then hurried off to help with reinforcing the village walls. The rain continued to intensify its force, as if it were sending in larger garrisons to fight its own war against the landforms and beings of the earth.

* * *

**Author's Notes: **It appears that Gaul has been able to conjure quite the weaponry. Dragon roses will be and are very effective against dragons, and pretty much any being. The abilities that the roses give them will be great, and they can also be sick and twisted...red dragon roses, for example...The way that they acted towards each other, after conjuring up the roses, however, was kind of weird. Don't you think so too? The way that Malick acted was as though he were the master over Gaul...Gaul even referred to him as master. Hmm...

It appears that the dragon roses are already having effect. Three dragon's of the Warfang platoon are unconscious for who knows how long. That leaves two dragons, twenty moles, and the cheetahs.

Will Gavin, Cynder, Spyro, Flame, and Sparx get there before Gaul's forces start their attack? What will happen?

~Stick With Me~


	9. Chapter 7: Why Must It Rain?

Chapter 7: Why Must It Rain In Times Like This?

"I know that it's a lot, but that's the truth." The red dragoness, along with her husband, had just told Kane, the chief of the Atlawa tribe, why and how she, her husband, and her daughter were in Tall Plains, which was the Atlawa's home. The Atlawa were a tribe of llama people who had been saved from Malefor's forces by Spyro during the early years of the war.

"I have been through and have seen much before," said Kane, "What was a lot was having my tribe saved by a purple dragon half my size. I doubted that he could do it, yet you see me and my people standing before you today. Because of the purple dragon, Spyro, we owe a debt to the dragon race. That is why I was so quick in providing you with this area as a place to stay, without any questions, when you asked for shelter. If you do not like this particular cave, the Atlawa would be honored in finding you another."

The red dragoness looked passed her husband into the cave that her daughter had already wandered into and was inspecting herself. "No," she said, looking back to the llama, "this is fine. Thank you. We'll leave as soon as my daughter can fly."

"Stay as long as you wish," said Kane.

Kane was a white furred llama who, like the cheetahs, stood upright on his hind legs. He had light brown fur sticking up, like a crest, on the top of his head. The same color tipping his ears. Light brown fur also circled his eyes like a mask and flowed down his chest with patches on his knees, elbows, and tip of his tail. He wore a multicolored breechcloth around his waist and had his hands wrapped in cloth. A pointed wooden tube that acted as a blowgun, blunt weapon, and, with enough force, possible stabbing weapon was held in his left hand. A stem of wheat came out from between his teeth and lips.

"The Atlawa are honored to have you here and are willing to take your requests. Is there anything that we can do before the day is done?"

The red dragoness looked to the llamas, hoping that what they said was true and that she and her family really weren't being pests. "Some food would be nice, if that's not asking for too much."

Kane gave a quick nod. "I will tell my people of your request. What food would you prefer?"

"Whatever you have available," answered the fire dragoness.

* * *

The rain was now pouring as Spyro, Sparx, Cynder, Flame, and Gavin flew into the wind, trying to make their way to the Valley of Avalar. Gavin looked around at the ground below, but could hardly make anything out due to the rain. It didn't help that the cloud cover had made things darker than what they should be at this time of day. It should be dusk, not dark.

"Does anyone have a bearing?" Cynder called through the wind. She was flying point with Spyro.

Gavin branched off to the right side of their un-pointed "V" with Flame branching off to the left behind Spyro. Sparx flew directly under Spyro, trying his best to keep his wings dry.

"Don't ask me" called Gavin, "I barely had one when we left Warfang."

Flame called up, "I have no idea where we are."

Spyro gazed towards the ground, trying his best to catch the smallest clue as to where they were.

Lighting flashed from the clouds to the earth off to the right of the group, illuminating the sky and ground below. In the few seconds that everything was lit up, Spyro was able to get a bearing. "We're over one of the forests in the Valley," he called.

"We should put down," yelled Gavin through the storm, wind, and echo of thunder, "With this armor, we're a bunch of flying lighting rods."

All four dragons had on a medium armor that provided protection for everywhere on their body except the undersides of their tails, torsos, back spines and crests; if they had any; and chests, leaving the protection of those areas to their organic chest plates, scales, and material.

The front sides of their forelegs and the sides of their hind legs that faced inwards towards their bodies, along with their heels and paws, were also exposed because the leg guards were not full and were held to their legs by durable straps.

"And Sparx's wings look like their getting soggy," Gavin added.

With the help of more lightning, Spyro spotted a small opening in the trees that they would be able to maneuver through. He yelled over the storm, "Follow me down. We'll go the rest of the way to Avalar by foot. Watch out for branches."

The group began descending in a spiral. Soon enough, they had maneuvered through the trees and had their paws on solid ground. The canopy lessened the rainfall by a bit.

Sparx flew out from directly under Spyro to under his left wing. The purple dragon held his golden wing over his soggy-winged brother. "Are you still able to move, Sparx, or should we wait here for the storm to let up?"

Sparx shook some water droplets from his arm. "You really think a little rain's going to stop me? Let's get moving."

Spyro looked around.

"You did see which direction we needed to go once we landed, right?" asked Gavin.

"Yes," answered Spyro, "Just seeing which way it is."

The purple dragon began walking with Cynder at his right side and Sparx under his left wing. Gavin and Flame fell in behind them.

"How close to Avalar do you think we are?" Flame asked.

"We're in the valley," answered Spyro, "we just have to get to the village."

As the purple dragon finished his sentence, a noise, like thunder, echoed through the air. The only problem was that there had been no lightning strike. Two trees nearby suddenly exploded.

"What was that?!" exclaimed Gavin.

There was a small crater near the destroyed trees with a black mound in the center of it. It was a cannon ball that had come from the direction in front of them.

Spyro began running forward with Cynder and the other two on his heels. They came to the break in the forest where the cannon ball had come from.

"Why does it have to rain when something like this is going on?" Gavin wondered aloud as they arrived at the tree line and surveyed the scene in front of them.

Above the river hovered a large attack ship that was being manned by apes. Another hovered above the meadow across the river and yet another near the cheetah village. All of them were making use of their equipped cannons.

Under these ships, around the river and village, were both cheetahs and apes engaged in hand to hand combat with archers in select areas. The war had begun. Bodies and wounded, oddly only those of apes; those fighting for Gaul; and not of cheetahs nor moles nor dragons; those who were fighting against Gaul; were already lying in the mud.

Spyro and Cynder spotted Hunter in the middle of two apes, his sword quickly slicing raindrops as he parried and attacked the pirates. Gavin saw Chief Prowlus back-to-back with another cheetah while trying to stand against multiple enemies. They were doing a good job at it too. For every attack that the pirates got out, two came from Prowlus and the other cheetah who, Gavin recognized through the rain by his red fur, was RedPaw. Flame spotted an earth dragon who was throwing several enemies off of his back. Sparx took cover under some nearby leaves as the four dragons split up and went to aid their allies. There were a whole lot of apes still left to battle.

"Oh, how can I watch this?" was what the dragonfly voiced as he helplessly watched his friends charge out into a battle that he could do nothing to aid in.

* * *

Erthal didn't see the pirate that had his silver sword raised and ready to strike because he was too busy fending off another enemy with his claws. Luckily Flame did and was able to fly, head on, into the ape before he managed to bring his sword down onto the earth dragon's exposed crest.

The young fire dragon quickly jumped up off the pirate and lunged at another. That ape jumped backwards, quickly slashing at Flame with his sword. Flame ducked and slashed at the pirate's legs with his claws. The monkey howled in pain as Flame's claws raked through them. Flame finished him off with a fiery breath that ignited another nearby ape. He spun around and watched Erthal dispatch two more with a lash from his tail.

* * *

Hunter swatted away the pirate's sword with his and spun around to deflect the other's attack. Quickly he repeated the process, only in a different flow and move. He needed to dispatch these two quickly, or at least get both of them in front of him, if he was going to survive this battle. At least, that's what he had planned to do without any help. Fortunately, he soon had no reason to worry about his two oppressors as one was taken down by a black dragoness and the other by a purple dragon.

"I see you two decided to show up," he said as he sheathed his sword, grabbed his bow from his shoulder, and nocked an arrow. "Shalir over there needs your aid." The arrow flew from Hunter's bow and struck a pirate that had snuck up behind a light blue furred cheetah. The cat gave a wave of acknowledgement to Hunter before quickly focusing back on his battle against a large ape and his silver cutlass. Spyro, Cynder, and Hunter charged over to help him as apes and friendly cheetahs battled around them.

* * *

Prowlus parried the baboon's sword to the side, spun around the ape, opposite the side of the sword, and slashed the monkey in the back. He quickly jumped back into position behind RedPaw, closing up their rank once more as he began fighting another pirate. How many could they have possibly crammed on those ships?

The cheetah's sharp eye caught a black figure at the edge of his vision. He flipped the pirate's sword away and snapped a glance towards it. He watched as a black dragon tackled his opponent. Finally, Spyro and Cynder had arrived to the village's aid. Prowlus realized that the dragon in front of him, however, was not Cynder, but one that he did not fully recognize. His apricot wings looked familiar. The chief's attention quickly snapped to yet another attacking pirate. He parried his blows while the black dragon finished off the downed enemy.

Gavin lifted his blood stained claws from the baboon's neck and stared at them as the warm, organic liquid began to drip off. His very first close quarters kill as a dragon. It had turned out bloody. He flipped his paw, his stomach tying into knots as the blood continued to slowly slide down to the tip of his claw and drip to the ground.

He was snapped back to reality as a sword flashed over him, blocking another sword from cutting into his wings. Gavin looked to the sword that had been coming to harm him. His eyes widened. It was Malick, the snow white baboon that was Gaul's second in command. He sneered as he lifted his sword away and lunged for the dragon. Gavin hopped away towards Prowlus, the sword that had stopped Malick's.

The ape began a heavy attack on the two. He parried against Prowlus and slashed at either the cheetah or Gavin every chance he got. Gavin tried to get close for an attack of his own, but every time he got within Malick's sword's reach, the ape would take a slice at him.

A bolt of golden lighting came from out of nowhere and shot over Malick's head, nearly hitting the cheetah that had snuck up behind him. RedPaw barely managed to jump out of the way as the bolt caused the ground he had just been standing on to tingle with golden energy.

Gavin turned around and looked to where the bolt had come from. Standing on the pirate ship nearest them was Gaul. The ape stood with his staff still raised and his face formed into a scowl. Gavin squinted through the rain. What was he doing with his other hand? It looked like he was signing peace with two fingers, but why would he be doing that? Gavin realized that Gaul was smiling now.

Gaul was just distracting him. He managed to make the black dragon take too much of his attention and time away from the snow white ape. Malick managed to knock Prowlus away, spin around to kick RedPaw back into the mud, and then whirl around once again to lunge at the dragon.

Gavin never got a chance to react in defense. His attention was still turned towards Gaul: who was laughing. The next thing he knew, a silver light flashed by his left eye and a burning pain formed under it, causing that eye to water and close and for him to yowl in pain. Malick quickly sliced his sword across the front of Gavin's left foreleg, right where his armor didn't protect it, causing him to yell and begin leaning heavily to his left.

The ape spun around the dragon, managing to stomp on Gavin's tail in the process, and slipped his sword across the exposed part of the dragon's right hind leg. Gavin screamed in agony as his legs gave out. Gaul's supposed apprentice flashed his silver sword around and sliced open the dragon's chest. The wound wasn't deep enough to kill the dragon, there had been specific orders on taking dragon prisoners, but it was deep enough to mix even more blood into the rain and cause the black dragon to scream even louder from the pain.

This all happened so incredibly fast that Prowlus didn't have enough time to grab his sword, which Malick had flicked out of his hands, and return the dragon's favor of dispatching an annoying enemy. The chief had just made it to his sword when Gavin's chest was cut open. The cheetah never got to pick it up.

Another bolt came from Gaul, this one of a white color. It struck both Prowlus and RedPaw and held them to the ground by white energetic restraints around their hands and ankles. Malick kept his attention on the dragon. He held Gavin's head up while holding his sword to the agonized dragon's throat.

"Imagine what would happen next if we weren't taking you as a prisoner," he growled in a blood lust tone, trying to put fear into the dragon.

Gavin only managed to hiss, which was something new he could do as a dragon, in reply; showing that it wasn't working. He did not fear the ape, he had Christian beliefs.

Malick laughed, "Your hissing doesn't intimidate me, dragon, especially since I have a sword to your throat."

Gavin simply hissed again. He did not fear death, he had Christian beliefs.

This annoyed Malick. He lowered his sword and slipped it across the dragon's chest a second time, this time doing it slowly and allowing the wound to be deeper than the last. The dragon let out another scream and then fainted. He had never experienced pain like that before.

Malick stood up, turning his attention away from the unconscious dragon and towards the two cheetahs being held to the ground. He walked over to Prowlus, bent over, and grabbed the back of the cheetah's clothes. At the ape's lift, the restraints dissolved away and the baboon quickly held his sword to the chief's neck. "Your village is ours once more," he sneered into the cheetah's ear.

* * *

**Author's Blurb:** Will, that didn't necessarily go in the favor of the cheetah village of Avalar...

What Malick did there to Gavin was a rather cruel way to knock him out, Gaul seems to have a sense of humor; and do you find it weird that none of the forces fighting against Gaul were lying in the mud, that only his forces were?

I guess that this battle is won by Gaul...

Poor Sparx. Because of the rain, all he can do is watch.

I guess that the red dragoness and her family have found friends and are being taken care of. How long will it be before their daughter can fly, and who exactly are they? Are they _really_ Gavin's family like some of you are guessing, or are they someones else?

(_Psst...refer back to Gavin's dream again near the end of "Chapter 2: A Family Not By Blood", read the descriptions given, and then check the descriptions at the end of "Chapter 3: Bettering From Sickness." ;) )_

~Stick With Me~


	10. Chapter 8: Revelations

Chapter 8: Revelations

"It's kind of cool that animals can talk now."

This sentence came from the throat of a little red dragoness. She was speaking to a dark furred llama as they sat in the cave that Kane and his people had provided for the little dragoness and her family.

The llama laughed lightly. "We are not just animals, young one," he said, "but can our kind not speak in the world you came from?"

"No," answered the dragoness as her red scaled mom walked into the cave after thanking Kane again for all that he was doing for them. "They don't speak the same language anyways. They make different sounds. Like cats meow and dogs bark. I don't know what sound llamas make."

The llama smiled. "Well," he said thoughtfully, "maybe it is something like a humming?"

"A humming?" questioned the dragoness.

"Well, considering that there are stories of canine, or dog, tribes in this world that talk about them actually barking in war, whether it be for code or to intimidate, maybe we llamas, too, can make the same sound as the ones from the world you came from. For some reason, the sounds that we sometimes use for code came to my mind. They sound kind of like this:" the llama closed his mouth and made something like an "Hmmmgh" sound.

"I don't know," shrugged the dragoness, "I don't think I've ever heard the sound a llama makes. They weren't around where we were."

The llama smiled and shrugged. He liked this little dragoness.

"You'll have to excuse my daughter," spoke the mom as she walked over, "She's still getting used to this world."

"It is okay," said the llama, "I am enjoying our talk." He looked to the mother fire dragoness as the father black ice dragon joined them. "How is it, again, that you think you arrived?"

The mother explained. "I think that my son, Gavin is his name, found the way. We weren't with him when he did, and as you can see he didn't arrive in the same place as us, but however he got here must have worked on us as well."

The llama thought a moment. "Is it possible that it didn't bring him?" he questioned.

The dragoness sighed and looked to her husband.

The black ice dragon spoke, "We have wondered that and believe that it is possible, but we like to think that it did and deposited him somewhere else. If Gavin didn't find the way, then we hope that whatever force brought us brought him too."

"I miss him," piped the little dragoness at the llama's side.

The llama turned to her and spoke in a caring and reassuring tone, "Don't worry. By what you say about him, I am sure that wherever he is he is okay." The llama smiled and looked her in the eye. "Think this way: the sooner you learn to fly, the quicker you can look for him. Learn with such motivation."

The young dragoness smiled.

"I should be going," said the llama as he stood up, "It appears that Kane and the others have left me. If I don't see you again before I leave, I wish you farewell and good luck in finding your son." He began walking out of the cave.

"Before you leave," said the mother dragoness.

The llama turned around. "Yes?"

"What is your name?"

"Oh, my apologies," said the llama, "my name is Alt."

"Well, Alt," said the father dragon, "if we don't see you again before we leave; goodbye and thank you."

Alt smiled, bowed his head, turned around, and left the cave.

* * *

Gavin floated in a black void. He had no wounds and felt no pain from the battle like he should have. Was he dead?

"I apologize," came a wise voice.

No, Gavin realized, with some _déjà vu,_ that he wasn't dead. The Chronicler, Ignitus, was communicating with him.

Ignitus continued, "There was no need for you to stand on any ground, and I feared that having the unnecessary would weaken our connection. Simply having you float is sufficient since I only need to speak with you."

"Okay," Gavin said, "What about?"

"Several things," said Ignitus, "First, I have found the rest of your story and must say that the world you came from is an intriguing one. The book of your beginnings, however, was located in a whole other library that I did not know existed. It appears that each Chronicler must discover two libraries for his or herself. They are libraries that contain the chronicles of the human world and chronicles concerning both. It also turns out that the Chronicler is much more than thought to be, but there is much to that and I must continue. I will say that your books have been combined and put into the middle library from which I have found the books of your mother, father, and other sister; and have looked at two others."

Gavin's mind was already exploding, he didn't know whether to question about his family or the "two others". Suddenly he felt slightly conscious, as if he was waking up. He heard the voice of a female saying, "Is there one in there?"

"Gavin, Gavin!" came Ignitus's voice, "Focus on my words, focus on my voice. With the dark power blocking my communication abilities, I need your help to maintain the connection. Now focus, I have more that I must say."

"Sorry, sorry," said Gavin as he focused on Ignitus.

"The two others that I speak of you are most likely to meet soon. Your family is fine and within this world. They are currently at Tall Plains being aided by the Atlawa. Do not worry about them.

"Another thing that is of concern is the story of Vinesca appearing in the Valley of Avalar. I was wrong when I told you that Vinesca had no reason for appearing there. Vinesca _did_ have a reason for appearing in the Valley. I studied the story more from here in the library and learned that the warrior the Village sent had done many wrongs to others, but had made them hold their tongues by instilling them with fear. When he was teleported away by Vinesca, however, those whom he had done wrong to took their chance and spoke up about his evil to who was the chief of the Village at that time. When the warrior returned, he was made to pay for his crimes."

Gavin spoke, "I already know why Vinesca appeared for me, it was calling me home."

"That may be one reason that it appeared for you," said Ignitus, "but your family was brought to Tall Plains without ever stepping near the Vinesca crystal, and something caused you and your parents to disappear in the first place. Gavin, there are higher powers at work. Everything that has happened is falling into place like pieces to a puzzle, and things that we thought we knew are proving to be different."

Gavin felt consciousness again. The connection between him and Ignitus was fading.

"Oohhh," Ignitus gave a groaning sigh, "There is so much that must be said. So much that must be learned, but there is little time. Do not speak, just listen. As I have said, the Chronicler, my role, is much more than it was thought to be. I am not only to chronicle the times…"

Consciousness brushed Gavin again.

"Focus, young dragon, focus! There was more to the prophecies than we thought. I came across what had been lost here in the library. What was lost was lost because it was believed to truly be gibberish, to either be truly mad writing or simply be a spin, that made no sense, off of the other prophecies. However, things that are spoken of in these writings are suddenly making sense, proving to fall into place. Gavin, the war with Malefor may be over, but a new one has begun. I believe that the true enemy of this war is the one who is blocking my communication with some dark power of his. I also believe that he is blocking my ability to discover his identity. The war that this enemy has brought is one that is going to have many twists; one that has much more at stake."

"More?" spoke Gavin, forgetting what Ignitus had commanded about not speaking and only listening, "From the sound of things, it's still the whole world."

"No," Ignitus corrected, "It is two worlds."

If anyone could have seen them, Gavin's eyes bugged. "What?" The connection faltered once more. Gavin lost feeling in his body.

"The connection is almost broken," Ignitus hurried, "There is much more that I must explain. Gavin, you and your group must seek me out. Spyro knows the way. Do not falter, you are to lead many friends and allies."

With that, the connection broke.

* * *

**Author's Blurb:** A bit of a shorter chapter, but...uhh...what?

~Stick With Me~


	11. Chapter 9: Ember AndBlizzeara

Chapter 9: Ember And…Blizzeara

At first, Gavin didn't realize that the connection between him and Ignitus had broken and he called out, "Wait, Ignitus, why me?"

After a time with no answer, Gavin realized that he was conscious and that the darkness was caused by his eyes being closed. He opened his right eye and tried to open his left. The pain and something else stopped him. The dragon focused his mono vision and realized two things. He realized that he was in another cell aboard a pirate ship, and that in front of him, facing to his left and digging through a sack, was a pink dragon, a female pink dragoness to be exact.

"Ember," came the voice of a female behind Gavin.

They had found Ember! That meant that the voice must be Blizzeara! Gavin smiled and celebrated in his head. He couldn't exactly jump for joy with the condition that he was in.

"I don't think that there's one in there. You would have found it by now if there was."

The pink dragoness slipped her head out of the sack and looked over Gavin from where she lay to where Blizzeara was behind him. "I know, I know," she said, "I'm just afraid that he might lose too much blood or that the wounds might become infected or something."

Ember the dragoness, friends with Blizzeara and Flamaro, was a pink dragoness with darker pink splotches spotting her scales. Her wings were a darker pink than the splotches with her wing membrane starting as a dark pink that was lighter than the wing at the top and getting to be an even lighter pink as it went down. She wore a gold neck brace from which hung a pendant of a heart shaped red ruby set into gold. She also wore gold braces around the wrists of her two forepaws and two spaced braces around her tail. Ember's tail tip was a heart shaped blade that was gold in color. Her tail attached between the two bumps of the heart with the golden point of the heart being the point of her tail tip. When her tail was straight, the heart was horizontal and flat. Her wing blade was a curved pointed spike, like Gavin's, that was ivory in color.

Ember, unlike most females, had a head and back crest. The crest started on her head between and just above her eyes and stopped at her neck where her neck's brace wrapped around. Passed her neck brace and starting between her wings the crest came back, went down her back, and stopped at her first tail brace. The gap went passed the first tail brace, passed the space between the two, passed her second tail brace, and from there the crest came back and continued down her tail to her golden heart tail tip. Her crest could be most related to Volteer's. It was a dark pink color, the same as her wings, and had thinner, curved spines that hard membrane was stretched across. The membrane was a dark pink, like her spines and wings, that became slightly lighter as it went up.

Ember's chest, underbelly, and two horns were an apricot color. Her horns on the sides of her head went straight back and curved up slightly and then curved down slightly to their points.

"His wounds aren't going to become infected and he hasn't lost too much blood. He isn't going to lose anymore either. I've caked his wounds in a light layer of ice. He'll be okay. I think you might need a rest if you're thinking that he's still going to lose blood," said the voice of Blizzeara.

So that was the other thing besides the pain that was stopping Gavin from opening his eye. The ice must have also sealed his eye shut.

"Well, if I was in his place," said Ember, "I wouldn't want the wounds to scar, and a green dragon rose is the best way to avoid that."

"Yes, Ember," said Blizzeara, "but there isn't one in there, and this dragon _is_ a male."

"That's a little stereotypical of you," came Gavin's voice from his throat, "if we could stop these wounds from scarring for sure, I'd be a happier dragon."

Ember looked at the wounded dragon with her pink irises and exclaimed, "Oh, he _is_ awake!"

Blizzeara walked around to the front of Gavin, she had been re-icing the wound on his right hind leg which was stretched out behind him, and asked, "How are you feeling?"

Gavin was just about to answer when his right eye fell on and examined her. He stopped with his mouth lying open against the floor.

Blizzeara, the ice dragoness; sister of Flamaro; was a light blue with red scales poking out around her body. Her wings were the same shade as her light blue scales and also had red scales here and there. The membrane of her wings was a lighter light blue with no red spots. Her wing blade was a sharp spike that jutted out and looked like a smooth, sharp, round ice shard, and it really did look like light blue opaque ice, that came to a point and was the same shade as her scales.

Blizzeara's chest and underbelly was the same lighter blue as her wing membrane with no red to be found. The two horns on her head were like two ice shards, again really looking like light blue opaque ice, that came out at an angle. They, too, were the same shade as her scales.

Blizzeara cocked her head at the injured black dragon lying in front of her questioningly and sat down. She wrapped her tail around her left side, right side from Gavin's view, and laid it next to her forepaws. Her tail blade was a pointed spike that was as thick as the part of her tail where it started off at. It looked almost as if the end of her tail had been permanently frozen into a very sharp point. Her tail spike looked like opaque ice that was colored to match her light blue scales, wing blades, and horns.

"Dragon, are you okay?" she asked.

Gavin pulled himself from being locked by her beautifully blue colored eyes that were a bit darker than her light blue scales and had red scales lining under them so that he could reply. "Um…yes…a-and no," he answered. "I'm still alive, but am numb, can't open my left eye, and have a very boggled mind."

Gavin looked straight forward and noticed that Ember was suppressing a giggle with her paw. She had noticed Gavin's gawking over Blizzeara. He gave her a look that said, "Please don't," and looked back to Blizzeara.

"You were slashed many times by a sword. I've iced over the wounds to stop them from bleeding and becoming infected until we can find a green dragon rose," she said.

"How are you going to get a green dragon rose aboard a pirate ship?" asked Gavin.

Blizzeara replied, "We receive these sacks of supplies every now and then. Ember has one over there."

Ember raised the rim of the sack, when Gavin looked, with a paw to emphasize it.

Blizzeara continued, "We don't know who gives them to us, it doesn't make sense that the pirates would be the ones supplying them to us, but they usually contain what we need when we need it. I suppose that it makes sense that a green dragon rose isn't in this sack since it arrived before you did."

"That makes sense…the green dragon rose not being in there," said Gavin.

Blizzeara looked to Gavin with question in her eyes. Suddenly the black dragon was back in a swamp with many trees and mushrooms around him talking with a black dragoness whom then he didn't know he was related to. He quickly returned to reality as the ice dragoness spoke, "If I may ask, what is your mind 'boggled', as you say, over?"

Gavin replied, "Many things along the lines of this new war that has begun."

"It's sad," Ember spoke up, "we come right out of one war and into another."

Gavin nodded the best he could with his head lying against the floor and said, "Yes, it is sad that the world sometimes works that way."

Blizzeara was hesitant with her next question for some reason, but managed to voice it, "Why did you yell out 'wait, Ignitus, why me?"

Gavin was about to answer, but was stopped when he realized that something wet was running down the left side of his face under his eye. Was he bleeding? The black dragon began to lift his left foreleg that had been lying out in front of him.

"Don't use that leg!" Blizzeara stopped him.

Gavin realized the pain that was building up in the numb leg and laid it back down.

"Here," Blizzeara said before he could untuck his right foreleg from under him and wipe away the melting ice from the wound under his eye, "I should probably re-ice all of your wounds." She walked around to his left foreleg and lightly iced its wound with her element. She then looked at him and commanded, "Hold still."

Gavin hadn't lifted his head ever since he awoke and didn't lift it now as Blizzeara got her face real close to his and lightly iced the wound under his left eye. The dragons-of-this-world's breath could smell good or bad depending on their dental hygiene, what they ate, and their element. I know, you don't exactly think of the smell of breath when you think of a dragon, but in this case it was true; and Gavin couldn't help it, Blizzeara's breath smelled good.

The ice dragoness stopped and walked around to Gavin's sprawled out right hind leg.

"Sorry for any awkwardness," she said as she began icing.

To further avoid any awkwardness, Gavin asked, "How's my tail?"

"I didn't know anything was wrong with it," said the ice dragoness when she was done icing.

"Malick, that snowy ape who is second in command to Gaul, stomped on it during battle. He's the one who inflicted the rest of my wounds as well."

"Was that his blood that we cleaned off of your claws?" asked Blizzeara as she began feeling Gavin's tail, checking to make sure it wasn't broken in any place.

"No," said Gavin, "that was another ape's."

The black dragon untucked his right foreleg and looked at his claw. He had forgotten about his first kill as a dragon. He winced as Blizzeara touched a sore area of his tail.

His mind began wondering about who he had killed as a dragon and then as a human as Blizzeara stated, "Nothing feels broken, and none of your spines are damaged."

She walked around to the front of Gavin and looked at him. "Time for your chest," she said.

Gavin put his right forepaw back down for support and lifted his head and chest with a small grunt through the pain. Blizzeara bent in a little closer and began icing the two slashes that formed a sideways 'V' which had its open part pointing to Gavin's right or Blizzeara's left with its upper slash longer and deeper than its lower. Over the ice dragoness's head, Gavin saw Ember suppressing more giggles with sucked in lips and both paws to her mouth. The black dragon shot her the same "Please don't" look again, but in a stronger more desperate form, and laid back down when Blizzeara was done. "Thank you, Blizzeara," he said.

The ice dragoness backed up a step. "How do you know my name?"

"Your brother, Flamaro, told me about you two. We've been keeping an eye out looking for the both of you. We have finally found you," answered Gavin.

"You met Flame! Is he okay?" asked Blizzeara, concerned.

"Yes," replied Gavin and then corrected himself, "maybe…I don't know. He was in the battle."

"You let him fight!?" exclaimed Blizzeara.

"He was trained by the Guardians and Spyro and Cynder and wanted to help. He really wanted to find you and Ember, Blizzeara. It kept him up at night. Often he was in the library at the Dragon Temple in Warfang reading to ease his worried mind."

"I hope he's okay," stated Blizzeara, worriedly.

"The last I saw him," said Gavin, "He was running off to help an earth dragon in battle. I can't necessarily say that he's all right, but I also can't say that he's dead. I think that Gaul wanted dragon prisoners, he likes to put them in tournaments you know; and the more prisoners of war he has, the more likely Warfang might listen to demands."

Blizzeara didn't know whether to be angry at this dragon for letting Flamaro run off in the battle or to thank him for helping her brother while she was gone.

"Your brother has a good heart," said Gavin, "A lot of times the one that that kind of heart belongs to is harder to kill."

Blizzeara sighed and closed her eyes as tears began to form for her brother. "The ice on your chest will probably melt more often than the rest since you're lying on it. If it gets too cold with the water, let me know."

"I am a light dragon," said Gavin, "but I suppose that using my element would simply help to melt the ice. Again, thank you."

"You're a what?" asked Ember, lifting her head up. She had laid down to nap a little and wondered if she had heard right or if she had been half asleep.

"A light dragon. My element is light, see." Gavin opened his mouth and shined a warm, yellow beam of soft light onto Ember's side. The pink dragoness started but realized that she wasn't being hurt.

"Woah," said Ember, amazed as Gavin closed his mouth.

"Is that it," asked Blizzeara, "is that all you can do; just light up dark places?"

"I don't know," Gavin answered honestly, "I didn't think to try using my element in the battle and I haven't really tried it out. I've been busy with other things and I'm also kind of new to this whole dragon thing. I'm a little surprised that I got that far with it."

"What do you mean you're new to 'this whole dragon thing?" asked Ember.

Gavin smiled and chuckled a bit. He sighed and said, "It's a bit of a long story, and I don't know if you'd believe me."

"Try us," said Ember.

"If you haven't realized, we've got time," said Blizzeara.

Gavin was going to begin his story, but he was stopped by the sound of running footsteps in the hallway outside of the cell. Gavin lifted his head through pain, looked to his right, and watched with the two dragonesses as a cloaked figure ran past the cell's barred door. Had that cloak looked familiar? The figure had been moving fast when he went by, but the design of the cloak had looked familiar. Gavin could have just been mistaken though.

Ember leapt up from the ground and ran to the door. She called after the figure, "Wait, who are you!? Are you the one leaving us the sacks!?"

It was too late, the figure was gone.

Ember walked over to Gavin. "He dropped this as he ran by." She held up a green dragon rose to Gavin's muzzle. "I think he might have been the one leaving the sacks, but I don't know. They always appear while we're asleep."

"Does anyone else need this rose before I eat it?" asked Gavin.

"No," answered Blizzeara, "It's yours."

Gavin ate the rose from Ember's paw. As soon as he swallowed, he began feeling the rose's healing effects. He also realized that he felt tired. "If it's okay, you'll learn my story later. I'd like to rest," he said.

"Okay," said Ember.

"Rest," said Blizzeara.

Ember walked back over to the sack and laid down as the black dragon's breathing already became deeper. The healing effects of the green dragon rose had helped him to fall asleep quickly.

Blizzeara walked over and laid down next to her friend. "What do you think he meant?"

Ember looked at the black dragon who had the element of light, thought a moment, and then looked to her ice dragoness friend. "I don't know, but he's kind of cute."

"What do you mean?" asked Blizzeara.

"Just that," answered Ember, "he's kind of cute."

"And a little weird," stated the ice dragoness. "Really, Ember? We just met him. 'He's kind of cute'…did you notice the things that he said? He sounds like he might be kind of crazy, but you like him because 'he's kind of cute?"

"You didn't notice?" questioned the pink fire dragoness.

"Notice what?"

"Nevermind," said Ember, smiling slyly, "but I'm not saying this because I'm falling for him. Don't get me wrong, he seems like a nice dragon, even though he hasn't made a lot of sense, but _I_ have _my_ eye on someone else." She looked out of their cell in the direction of the one across the hall, daydreaming a little, then looked back to her friend and continued, "If I were you, I'd get to know him before you deem him as just some 'crazy' dragon. You may learn that he has reasons to seem 'crazy', and that one of them might be…" Ember stopped and bit her lip, looking for a way to word her thought.

"Might be what?" pushed Blizzeara.

Ember looked to the sleeping dragon. "Might be because he wants…someone to be 'crazy' with him." She looked back to the ice dragoness and gave another sly smile. "Don't judge a book by its cover. It might contain something interesting, and maybe even of worth."

"Whatever, Ember," said Blizzeara, laying her head down to face the opposite direction of her friend.

Ember smiled, blinked, and shook her head at her friend. She then laid her head down, facing the other direction of Blizzeara, on top of the rim of the sack beside her.

When Blizzeara sensed her friend lay down, she moved her head to face the black dragon and look at him. Her eyes softened and she gave a small smile. She realized that, even with his wounds and the ice over them, he kind of was 'kind of cute' as Ember had put it. The ice dragoness thought about getting up and re-icing the sleeping dragon, but then thought against it. She didn't want to imply that what her friend had been implying might be true…but had he really been…looking at her? She had thought that he had just lost his train of thought or something; that his brain had had to process a little more before he spoke, but maybe he had actually been dumbstruck for the time he had laid there with his mouth open…looking at her.

Blizzeara studied the dragon a little longer. There was something about him. He was…different. He wore a necklace of some sort around his neck. Right now it was lying against the floor, what was engraved in it out of Blizzeara's view unless she sat up and looked, but she had already seen it when she had iced his chest. It was a cross engraved through a piece of black metal that rested on a piece of silver metal. Both pieces were hanging off of some sort of chain made up of tiny metal balls that were connected to each other through thinner strands of metal that ran through their center. Somehow the slashes, which had already disappeared under the melting ice, had been made against his chest behind the necklace and chain, leaving both undamaged.

There was something different about this dragon, Blizzeara thought again. Ember might be right. Maybe she shouldn't judge this book by its cover. The ice dragoness rolled her eyes at herself. But isn't that what she was doing? She wasn't talking with the dragon or watching him play off his personality, she was looking at his appearance…but maybe she should get to know the dragon a little more.

Blizzeara shook her head as she closed her eyes. She then opened one to look at the dragon a little longer, scolded herself for doing so, and fell asleep while thinking about the way he had spoken and what he had spoken about. Unbeknownst to her, Ember, who had sensed her movements, was wearing a small smile because of her friend lying next to her as she, too, drifted off to sleep aboard a ship full of prisoners and enemy forces during a war in which they had been captured. Good things can always be found, even during war.

* * *

**Author's** **Blurb: **Blizzeara and Ember have been found! It appears that there might be a little...potential romance sparking between one particular dragon and dragoness...

Who could Ember have her eye on? Spyro? ...Um...he's with Cynder. Maybe...and maybe even hopefully...it's someone else...

"Your brother has a good heart. A lot of times the one that that kind of heart belongs to is harder to kill." -Gavin

"Don't judge a book by its cover. It might contain something interesting, and maybe even of worth." -Ember

"Good things can always be found, even during war." -Final sentence of the chapter

~Stick With Me~


	12. Chapter 10: A Secret Exposed

Chapter 10: A Secret Exposed

Gavin awakened, wet because the ice that had been over his wounds had melted and able to open both eyes, to find Blizzeara and Ember asleep side by side in front of him. Ember was lying with her head laid to, what was to Gavin, the left with her muzzle half in the sack. Blizzeara laid to the right next to her. She was facing Gavin with her muzzle pointing right at him. The black dragon smiled as he stretched all of his limbs without any pain. He sat up and looked at his chest. Lifting his necklace, he found that the slashes were gone. The black dragon lifted his forepaws off of the ground and stood on his hind legs. He rose higher and higher onto his hind legs, swishing his tail behind him to keep his balance, and then fell onto his forepaws. Kicking his hind legs out behind him he then stood on all fours and quietly exclaimed to himself, "Those green dragon roses work wonders!"

"I see that you're feeling better, brother," came Cynder's voice from the cell across the hallway.

Gavin went over to the barred cell door, remembering what Ignitus had said, and laid down. Spyro was lying next to Cynder at their door. "Yes, I am. I'm glad to see that you two weren't hurt."

"We were forced to surrender as soon as Gaul and Malick captured you, Prowlus, and RedPaw," said Spyro.

"The Village is once again taken then," stated Gavin, "but this war isn't over. It is only just beginning. Spyro, Cynder, Ignitus contacted me through a dream. He told me some things, but has much more to say. He wants us to seek him out. Spyro, you remember the way to the Chronicler, right?"

"Yes," replied Spyro.

"What did he say, Gavin?" asked Cynder.

"Things that we thought we knew are different," explained Cynder's brother, "and this war has much higher stakes than what we thought. Ignitus will be able to explain things a lot better than I can, but we have to get to him first."

"Did you say Ignitus?" Blizzeara walked up behind Gavin.

The black dragon turned his head to face her and said, "Yes, Ignitus, the New Age Chronicler."

"Chronicler?" Blizzeara walked up from behind Gavin and sat down at his side.

Gavin sat up. "Yes, Chronicler, he…" Gavin was about to say that he is a chosen dragon who chronicles the times of his appointed Age, but what Ignitus had said to him in the dream stopped him. "…umm…"

"The Chronicler is a chosen dragon who chronicles the times of his appointed Age," said Spyro, saying the exact thing Gavin had stopped himself from saying.

The black dragon corrected his purple friend, "Well, that's at least one of the things that he does…"

"One of them?" inquired Spyro

"Yeah, Ignitus says that there is more to the whole Chronicler business than what we had thought…"

"Oh…" the purple dragon's brow was furrowed. "Did he say anything more about that?"

"No," Gavin answered, "I think that he tried, but the connection didn't give him enough time. There's a dark power blocking his communication abilities. He believes that the power is coming from the true enemy of this war. Ignitus, however, is blocked from discovering this enemy's identity by the same power." He looked to the ice dragoness who was looking at Spyro with intrigue.

"That's kind of weird, you look so much like them," she said.

"Who?" asked Spyro, falling into more confusion along with Cynder.

"My brother, Flamaro."

"She's right you know," agreed Cynder, "You and Flame look almost like brothers."

Gavin nodded his head in agreement.

Spyro still looked to Blizzeara quizzically. "You said 'them'."

"Well," Blizzeara had a sad tone in her voice, "you also look kind of like a younger version of…m-my father."

"Flame told us about how your parents died during the war against Malefor," said Cynder with condolence, "I'm sure that they fought bravely."

"Yeah," sighed Blizzeara.

"Blizzeara!" called a voice from down the hall.

"Flame!" Blizzeara called back, joy now flooding her voice. She saw her brother's red scaled paw sticking out of the bars of a cell some ways down and across the hall to their right. "Are you okay, bro!?"

"Yeah," replied Flame, "and don't worry about me being lonely. I've got an earth dragon who takes up half the cell to keep me company."

"Sorry," came the voice of the earth dragon, who was Erthal, which was followed by an, "It's okay," from Flame.

"Hey Flame!" called the rest of the dragons including Ember who now sat on the left side of Blizzeara, opposite of Gavin.

"We're glad that you're okay," added the pink fire dragoness.

Gavin tensed a little as he remembered that some of the fandoms from the human world had Spyro and Ember together with or and or or a war going on between her and Cynder. He quickly brushed off. That was just a fandom. Spyro and Cynder were obviously together, but would Ember end up falling for the purple dragon in any case?

Gavin shook the thought from his mind and focused. "Why did you wonder if we were speaking about Ignitus?" he asked Blizzeara, "Did you know him as Fire Guardian?"

"You mean Flame didn't tell you?" Blizzeara seemed astonished.

"Tell us what?" spoke Cynder, Gavin, and Spyro in unison.

Blizzeara chuckled a bit. "Flame always was one to obey dad's word, never breaking it unless dad said that he was good to go." She looked to Spyro. "My dad, the dragon that, in my opinion, you look kind of like, was...or is…I'm not sure on that now…Ignitus."

"What?" Gavin replayed the dragoness's words in his head.

"Ignitus had hatchlings?" was Spyro's remark.

Cynder just looked surprised

"The Guardians aren't supposed to have hatchlings," explained Blizzeara, "and if they do, they are forced to train another dragon to take their place and then step down from their position as Guardian. Ignitus, Flame and I's father, was trying to do so, but was forced to remain Fire Guardian because of the war against Malefor. You see, Flame and I didn't hatch in the Dragon Temple in the swamp."

"To the extent of our knowledge, only a choice few that were, at least supposed to have been, from those clutches of eggs did. The number, fortunately, seems to grow larger and larger," said Gavin.

"Yes," nodded Blizzeara, "When Flame and I did hatch, we were with our mom in Warfang. She was our main provider while dad helped with the war. Occasionally, he would stop by for late night visits. We always enjoyed them. They grew less and less, however, as the war progressed. Though, when he did come, he always told us about how his hope was growing more and more after the arrival of a purple dragon." Blizzeara looked to the purple dragon before her and smiled through her now forming tears. "I guess that the purple dragon, Spyro he had said his name was, was you. I would sometimes catch him and mom whispering happily to each other about you. What they said, I never did hear for certain, but thank you for helping to make them happy. Seeing them happy made Flame and I happy."

Spyro smiled and nodded.

Blizzeara looked to the black dragoness lying beside Spyro. "And I guess you're Cynder."

The black dragoness nodded.

"He talked about you too. He told us about how you had changed. How you were no longer the 'Terror of the Skies'. You raised his and mom's hope even more; which in turned raised me and Flame's. Dad was so happy that Spyro had been able to save you from Malefor. 'Especially after the disappearance of her parents and sibling,' he had said."

Cynder looked guilty. "I didn't know that I made someone feel good like that. I had felt like I didn't belong…"

Spyro laid his paw over Cynder's and gave her a light squeeze and smile; which got a small smile from her; as Blizzeara continued, "Then one day dad came to Warfang with three other dragons. Dad told us that the Dragon Temple had been attacked and that Spyro, Cynder, and Sparx…" At saying Sparx's name, Blizzeara chuckled. "How could I forget about Sparx? Dad talked about him too, the stories about him always made us laugh."

The four other dragons smiled.

"I remember a few stories you told me about him," said Ember.

"He told us that Spyro, Cynder, and Sparx had disappeared; but that we should keep hope, something that dad seemed to never lose ever since he met you, Spyro. He said that he had sent Hunter, a cheetah from Avalar, to search for them."

"I believe that that was me," came a familiar voice from the cell to the left of Spyro and Cynder's.

"Hunter!" exclaimed Gavin. "Why didn't you say anything earlier?"

"I did not want to interrupt," explained the cheetah whose fur was, what we would consider, a normal color. "It is an honor to meet you, Blizzeara." Hunter placed his right hand against his chest and bowed while he sat cross legged. RedPaw, red fur and all, sat beside him.

"The honor is mine," Blizzeara said as she continued, "Dad and the three other dragons, who we learned were the three other Guardians, stayed at a separate place in Warfang. Flame and I were so excited that dad would be around more often. Even though we never got to meet the other Guardians, why I'm still unsure; I think that dad hadn't told them about us yet, I think that he was waiting until he found someone to take his place before he told the other Guardians that he had a mate, son, and daughter; either that or he didn't want to worry them over such a thing while the war was going on; we were still very happy."

Blizzeara sighed as the memories got harder. "Three years passed. To Flame and I, the war was just a scary story, something that wasn't real; and then Warfang was attacked. Suddenly, the war was very real. Mom tried to hurry us out of the city…but…" Blizzeara's voice cracked. She sobbed and closed her eyes as tears began to fall.

Ember wrapped her wing around her friend. Gavin touched his to her side.

In their cell down the hall, Erthal cuddled Flame with his wing as the memories flooded into the fire dragon's head.

The ice dragoness regained enough composure to continue. "A Golem entered the city. It was huge…and destructive. We had to take to ground for fear that it would see us and attack us. I remember seeing two silhouettes that were tiny compared to it. It was you and Cynder fighting it, trying to protect the city. We saw dad trying to help to, and gasped when he was swatted away into a building. Mom was taking us away from the fighting, but we detoured to check on dad. We were relieved to find him okay, shaken, but okay. We all gave him a hug for morale. Mom kissed him on the cheek. He then told us to not be afraid. I remember his exact words.

"He told us that, 'Even in the darkest of times, there is always hope; but sometimes fear clouds our vision. Sometimes our strength gives out; and yet sometimes, when all seems lost, a light shines through the darkness; and we are reminded that even the smallest amount of courage can turn the tides of war.' He then told us that we should get out of the city and flew off."

Gavin's brain clicked at the quote. It had been in the games. Had the game developers known? He wondered.

Blizzeara cleared a lump from her throat. Gavin scooted closer to her side and wrapped his wing around her over Ember's. The ice dragoness looked to him, smiled for a second, and then continued, "We didn't get very far. We were attacked by some of Malefor's forces that had gotten inside of the city. They were five huge, brutish creatures who wielded scary looking axes. Mom told us to run into an ally way and wait for her to come and get us. At first we didn't want to go, but our elements weren't developed very well. We didn't know how to fight and we were scared, so scared. Mom made us go and we ran off into a nearby ally while she stayed to fight.

"We waited and listened to the sounds of the war around us. From the sounds nearby of mom fighting to the rumble as the Golem fell defeated; and then everything was quiet…aside from the far away echo of battle. We waited for what seemed like an eternity, sure that mom would soon come and get us and we would get away from all the horror.

"After she didn't come, we decided to get out of the ally way and see if we could find her ourselves. The thought that maybe she had simply went down the wrong ally and the recalling of dad's words kept our wavering hope alive…that is…until we got to where we had last seen her. She and the attackers were gone. There was so much blood that we both knew she could no longer be alive. Where and why they took her body, we still don't know. There, in the street, I embraced my brother, and we cried."

Blizzeara took a deep breath to calm herself and keep from losing it. "I knew then that I had to take charge. Yes, Flame and I are of the same age, but something deep down told me that I should, for the time being, be the one to lead. So I decided that we should look for dad, or at least one of the other Guardians. They would help us, but we first came across Mason. Dad had told us about this mole and we knew that he was one of his most trusted friends. Even better, dad had introduced us and trusted Mason to keep the secret of his family for until he revealed it himself. We asked Mason where dad was, but he just looked at us with sad eyes and shook his head.

"Flame and I both knew it at the same time. He and mom were gone, taken by this stupid war. Mason said that our dad had flown off into the belt of fire with Spyro and Cynder. He said that somehow he knew that Ignitus wasn't coming back. He didn't know how he knew, but he knew…and he was right: dad never came back."

The ice dragoness, through her tears and sobs, looked to Spyro and Cynder. "I'm sorry. At that moment, I hated you both. I felt that you two were the reason that they both had died, but I later realized that that wasn't true. You, along with mom and dad, were the reasons that we and the world were saved. I hope that you both will forgive me."

"We do," both Spyro and Cynder said.

Blizzeara nodded in gratitude.

"Ignitus sacrificed himself in the belt of fire so that we could get to Malefor," Spyro said, "He was a good dragon and mentor. Sometimes I felt like he was my own father, I always wondered if he felt the same. Now that I know that he was your and Flame's real father, I feel bad for feeling that way."

"Don't," said Blizzeara, "I am glad and proud that my father was such to the purple dragon."

Spyro bowed his head as Blizzeara finished, "Our home had been destroyed during the attack. Mason took us in and helped us to recuperate from it all. When we had put ourselves back together, we thanked the mole; and against his disapproval, we left; striking out to fend for ourselves. We didn't want to be pests to anyone; and if ever Warfang was attacked again, we didn't want to be the reason that someone else took one more fatal second then they had too. That's why we didn't seek out the Guardians. That's why we accepted help, but never stayed. That's why we found jobs to earn money."

The ice dragoness took a minute with the memories. She welcomed the warmth, even though she was an ice dragoness, from the two dragons on either side of her. She then looked to them both and said, "Thanks."

Ember nodded, let go, and folded her wing against her side. Gavin's wing, however, didn't move. Instead, it laid against her. Blizzeara looked to him questioningly.

"You tell me when to let go," he said.

Blizzeara smiled and folded herself under his wing, closing her eyes. Ever so slightly she leaned into him, not against him, and it wasn't very noticeable, but she leaned a little closer.

The ice dragoness realized that now she may have to take Ember's advice from a different perspective and not fall too far for this black light dragon before she got to know him some more.

It was funny, though, how things had suddenly changed. Not too long ago, really just some hours ago, she was thinking of him as some crazy dragon. Now, she realized that she might truly think that he was indeed 'kind of cute'.

* * *

**Author's Blurb:** Awww...Blizzeara and Gavin sitting in a...uhh...I probably shouldn't resort to that kind of thing right now...

Quite a secret of Ignitus exposed. He had children: Blizzeara and Flamaro.

Does anyone else agree that Spyro and Ignitus do look similar. Find a picture of them both and look at them. One example to look at is both of their horns. In my opinion, they look rather similar.

"Even in the darkest of times, there is always hope; but sometimes fear clouds our vision. Sometimes our strength gives out; and yet sometimes, when all seems lost, a light shines through the darkness; and we are reminded that even the smallest amount of courage can turn the tides of war." -Ignitus

~Stick With Me~


	13. Chapter 11: Exposure Of True Selves

Chapter 11: Exposure Of True Selves

For some time, everyone sat or laid where they were while in their thoughts: thinking over Blizzeara's story and how horrible it must have been for her and her brother. Something like that is something that young…anythings shouldn't have to go through, but sadly it happens anyway.

"It is sad that things like this happen," said Gavin, "but know that you and Flame are not alone, Blizzeara. In the world that I came from, there's a whole lot of ugly. Sometimes it's worse, sometimes it's less, but it happens. I have learned however that, even in the darkest place you find yourself, there is always a light somewhere. There's always at least one good that can be pulled from the bad. It might be a good for you, or it might be a good for another, or maybe it's even a good for many; maybe there's more than one good. All you have to do is look. Think about it, if Ignitus hadn't sacrificed himself, he may not be the New Age Chronicler now."

What Gavin had just said went through Blizzeara's mind, and she realized that what he had just said was true. She remembered all the smiles and help that her and Flame had given others after the attack on Warfang, and he was right that her dad might not be Chronicler now if he hadn't sacrificed himself. The world that they were in might not even be here if he hadn't sacrificed himself.

The ice dragoness looked to the light dragon and smiled. "You're right," she said. She leaned over and wrapped her wing that was opposite his around him while also wrapping her neck around his in a draconic embrace. At first Gavin was a little surprised, but he quickly hugged her back as she said, "Thanks…again."

All the others that were watching smiled as Blizzeara pulled away. "You can let go now…if you want."

Gavin nodded with a smile and folded his wing against his side.

"What about mom?" called Flamaro from down the hall, "Where's the good in that?"

"Sometimes you can't look in one place for a good," Gavin called back, "and sometimes a good doesn't reveal itself for a time, but it is or will be there."

In his cell, Flamaro nodded in understanding.

For a while longer, everyone sat in silence, thinking about many things.

Finally, Gavin looked to the purple dragon across the hall. "Spyro, I've been thinking, and there are some things that…aren't adding up…that don't seem right."

"I might know what you mean," said the purple dragon.

"I've been thinking, and unless I and the games from the human world are mistaken, Gaul surviving the Well of Souls doesn't make sense. There's no way he could have survived because he couldn't have survived you. If I'm correct, you lost control to your dark form and completely obliterated that ape; turning him to stone, and then turning him to dust."

"Exactly," confirmed Spyro, "and, although this Gaul is riddled with scars and has the three that I gave him, he's missing the two that he had had before. They ran down the center of his brow. Not to mention that both his eyes are whole. I thought that he had an eye that glowed with some sort of…green magic or something."

Gavin thought a moment, rubbing his chin with a knuckle in the direction that his scales laid. "Ignitus did say that there would be many twists in this war. I'm beginning to wonder if Gaul is one of them…"

There were suddenly hurried footsteps coming down the hall. Everyone, including the cheetahs, Flame, and Erthal, stood up and tried to crane their vision through the crowded barred doors to see what was going on. Flame and Erthal figured out what was going on first because whatever was coming was coming from their direction. There was the sound of jingling keys, a locking mechanism being disengaged; and then the sound of an opening door and command of, "Follow," came.

Gavin knew the voice before the ape arrived at his cell. "Crystello, you traitor, what are you doing?"

"Why do ye call me a traitor, dragon? 'Ave we met before?" asked the ape in a piratey accent as he opened their door and tossed the keys to a slim, hooded, and cloaked figure who stood in front of Hunter and RedPaw's cell.

As soon as the cell door that belonged to Blizzeara, Ember, and Gavin opened, the black dragon tackled the ape and stood on top of him with his claws held at his throat. "Do you not recognize my voice?" he hissed. "The voice of the human you head butted, who kicked you in the jaw, whose parents and friends you betrayed?!"

Crystello stared into the dragon's eyes for a second. Emotions of recognition, realization, relief, and…happiness all suddenly filled his eyes at once. "By the ancestors, you're alive!" The ape suddenly wrapped the dragon into a big bear…er…apish hug. Gavin looked to Spyro and Cynder who were behind the cell bars in front of him, his eyes swimming with confusion, as the ape squeezed him. The hug wasn't meant to hurt him, it was one of pure joy. Of that he could make out. The purple dragon and black dragoness mirrored his look.

"Haha!" the ape cried joyfully. He had suddenly dropped the piratey accent. "I thought that you were dead. I thought that Gaul killed you, but that isn't the case! You've simply turned to your dragon form!" Crystello let go, allowing Gavin to jump off of him, and stood up. "Let me look at you," he said.

As Crystello surveyed the confused dragon, Gavin looked to his left. Hunter held the cloaked figure against the wall. He held a dagger to the figure's throat, but had his eyes locked on the ape and dragon with confusion.

Before Gavin had tackled Crystello, the cloaked figure had managed to unlock Hunter and RedPaw's cell. Hunter, thinking that the figure was working for the apes and using the opportunity that Gavin tackling Crystello had given him, had thrown open the door, grabbed and unsheathed the dagger hanging from the figure's waist, and pushed the figure against the wall.

"Is this how you always treat females?" the hooded figure asked.

Hunter jumped back, startled. "You are a female."

"Did I not just imply that?" The hooded figure, who was a female, stretched out her hand. Judging by her hand, the figure was also a cheetah whose fur color matched Hunter's. "My dagger, please."

Hunter handed her the dagger. She stuck it in the sheath hanging from her waist, pulled the keys out of the opened door's lock, and went to unlock Spyro and Cynder's cell with an, "Excuse me Crystello," as Gavin looked to his right.

Erthal stood, just fitting in the hallway, with Flamaro sitting in front of him. Standing in front of Flame were two new dragons. The one on the left was a male, and the one on the right was a female.

The male dragon was mainly black with golden colored horns, claws, underbelly, crests, wing membrane, tail tip, and iris. His tail tip was a blade that resembled a military issue serrated knife from the human world. He had six horns; two main ones right in the middle of his head. One went straight forward in front of him and the other, which was the same length, the opposite way. He had two smaller horns beside those and two even smaller horns running down the length of his cheeks. His horns were shaped like blades.

The female dragon was mainly a turquoise color with darker blue horns, claws, underbelly, crests, wing membranes, and tail tip. Her iris's, however, were turquoise. Her tail tip resembled an upside down diamond, and she had the classic two main horns.

"You look so much like your father," said Crystello, turning Gavin's attention back to him.

"A lot of people said that when I was a human," was Gavin's remark.

Crystello nodded his head. He then turned to the two new dragons. "This is Jakob McElroy," he gestured towards the male dragon, "and Crystal," he said while indicating the female dragon. "They are two of Gaul's most recent acquirements...and loses."

Gavin gave them a nod of acknowledgement. "You must be the two other dragons from the human world that Ignitus told me about. I'm Gavin Keasler."

"Hello, Gavin," said Crystal. She had a slight, very slight, country girl accent.

"You mean you were also a human?" asked Jakob, "We're not the only ones?"

Gavin nodded his head. "Yes, I was a human. You are not the only ones who lived in the human world." He then turned to the ape in front of him, but before he could say anything, Crystello turned to the figure and introduced her. "This is Bianca, a friend of mine. I believe you owe her thanks."

Gavin looked to the female cheetah, whose name was Bianca, with his mind clicking twice. Once because of the fact that Bianca had been a character that Hunter had fallen for in the classic games, if he wasn't mistaken. It appeared that, in this case, she was a cheetah rather than a bunny. Gavin wondered if that met that someone in higher places wanted her and Hunter to actually become mates.

His mind clicked a second time because of the cloak she was wearing. It was the same one that had dropped the green dragon rose outside of his cell. It was also the same kind of cloak that he had seen Crystello wearing in his vision of the past; a purple one embroidered in gold with the symbols of the elements.

"I thought that that cloak looked familiar," said Gavin.

"You like?" said Bianca. "It used to be Crystello's, but he stitched it up to fit me. He said that I needed something more concealing."

Gavin nodded. "It looks nice. Thank you for the green dragon rose."

"I am glad to see that it did what it was supposed to do."

Gavin turned back to the ape. "Crystello, I'm not making sense of this. I thought that you were working for Gaul; that you were a traitor."  
Crystello smiled and laughed. "How can someone be a traitor to those he never betrayed? Who do you think has been feeding the Guardians and Warfang information?"

"Oh," said Gavin, simply, as the realization struck him. Crystello was a spy. "But what about the head butt you gave me and the broken arm you gave the cheetah?" he asked.

Crystello explained, "I am sorry about the beating I gave you, but you did give me quite a pain in my jaw. It's still tender." The ape rubbed where Gavin's metal grieve had made contact.

"Sorry," said the dragon.

"As for the cheetah's arm, you don't know how hard that was for me. I had to follow commands and lead the force down in the Village to keep everyone thinking that I was on Gaul's side. You will know, however, that that cheetah found a green dragon rose before he went to bed that night…just lying right where he had planned to sleep." Crystello smiled. "Now come, we must get to my brother, Sharder."

The pirate disguised monkey turned to the left and began to hurry down the hall with everyone behind him, but was stopped as two apes rounded a corner. They were Gaul and his snow white second in command, Malick.

"That was quite a touching reunion, really." Gaul was the one speaking, but his voice suddenly didn't sound deep, raspy, and growly. Instead, it was arrogant with a know it all edge.

"I see your confusion. Malick and I here simply decided that, if Crystello was going to expose his true self, we might as well too."

Suddenly, both apes were enveloped in shadows that swirled up from the ground.

Gavin thought that these apes must have taken inspiration from _Kingdom Hearts_ as he remembered that Organization Thirteen, when they teleported, had shadows that looked like these. The shadows swirled for a few seconds and then retreated back into the floor and disappeared.

The group was no longer staring at two apes. They were staring at two humans. The one that had taken Gaul's place had black hair that fell past his shoulders and wore plain black pants, shoes, and button up shirt. He still held the staff that looked like Gaul's, who everyone now truly knew was deceased; and looked like a man somewhere in his thirties. The man that now stood in Malick's place seemed like a young man in his middle twenties. His short hair was an auburn color and was styled over to his left, the company's right. He wore the same black uniform as the man beside him.

"Those disguises were fun," said the younger looking man, "but it's nice to be back to these forms."

"Who are you?" questioned Gavin.

"You will still know us by Gaul and Malick, as that's how we've already been introduced," said Gaul. "Now, if you would please follow us. We have something that we'd like to show you."

Spyro stepped forward. "And if we refuse?"

Gaul smiled and raised his staff. A clear yet seeable aura shot from it and encased the purple dragon, rendering him immobile.

"Spyro!" Cynder shouted as Gaul lifted his staff along with the aura and purple dragon. He floated the dragon close to him so that they were face to face.

"Then I will simply make you," spat Gaul. He was just about to slam the dragon into the wall, but his eyes caught the black dragon, the one that had spoken first. Gaul looked into the dragon's eyes and realized who he really was. "Oh my, this is a treat." He shifted the purple dragon to the side, planning on putting him to better use. "You're that confident human from the pit, the one that jumped in front of Cynder. I see that you, too, have undergone a change; and here I was thinking that I had wasted so much potential. Do you still think that I have no power over you?"

Gavin crouched into a ready stance in reply.

Gaul chuckled and flicked his staff hand. The purple dragon hurtled towards and slammed into Gavin. A blue light flashed upon impact and electric energy of the same color crackled through both of their bodies. Spyro was paralyzed by the energy. Gavin, however, managed to get to his feet while grunting and panting.

Malick looked surprised and Gaul lifted an eyebrow. "I must admit, you surprise me. That was supposed to render you immobile as well."

Gavin smiled. "What'd I tell you before, Gaul, in that pit? I am protected by the Lord."

This reply angered Gaul. A clear aura shot from his staff and picked up the purple dragon. "I could crush your friend in a millisecond," he growled, "or maybe I'd do it slowly to allow you to listen to his screams and the sounds of a body being compacted. You're arrogance and how you speak of being protected by your Lord madly annoys me. You think that I have no power over you, but I will show you power."

Malick placed a hand on Gaul's shoulder. This helped him to regain his composure. He calmed and his voice steadied. "Thank you Malick; and that is just what we plan to do. Now, follow us without any more questions."

Everyone complied. They had too. Gaul still had Spyro suspended in an aura, and his threat formed horrible images and sounds in their heads.

* * *

**Author's Blurb:** Well...that was kind of messed up. That's why Gaul being alive didn't exactly make sense. It was because he wasn't. It appears that this Gaul, as he calls himself, is a little twisted. What has just revealed itself? What is this war really about? Who is this "Gaul" really?

At least everyone now knows that Crystello is an ally; and what's more is that they have made three new ones: Jakob, Crystal, and Bianca; in addition to Erthal from the battle in the Valley of Avalar.

What could be next?

~Stick With Me~


	14. Chapter 12: A Twisted Show

Chapter 12: A Twisted Show

The group was led to the deck of the ship. They joined Chief Prowlus, who was already standing on the deck; his hands were shackled with white energy. It was dark. The group realized that this was so, not because the sun was going down, but because it was blocked out by a huge ship: Gaul's behemoth.

Gaul dropped Spyro, whose side Cynder ran to, to the deck as a group of apes joined them with drawn swords. Among these was a baboon that was thrown into the group next to Crystello. He looked like a smaller version of Crystello. It must have been his brother: Sharder. There was another ape among the group that Gavin recognized, even though he now wore the clothing of a captain; clothing that looked much like Crystello's. It was Liquel, the ape who had escorted him to his match against Crystello before he had turned into a dragon.

Liquel rushed up to Crystello. "Is it true, Crystello. Are ye really working for Warfang?"

"Yes, Liquel, it is true," he answered.

"But I thought we was friends."

Crystello just turned his head.

"Well, now that the truth is out," spoke Gaul, "would you mind if we started our little show?"

Liquel turned towards the man. "Who might ye be?"

"Do you not recognize me? It is your captain and king, Gaul."

"Yer not Gaul," said Liquel, thinking that this creature before him was crazy.

"Maybe this will prove to you." Shadows enveloped Gaul once more and changed him back into his ape form. He smiled and then transformed back in the same manner. Liquel stood looking at him, stunned.

"Now please," said Gaul, "wipe that stupid look off of your face, step aside; and all of you sheath your swords. You will have no need for them, and I want you to enjoy this." Gaul raised his staff and from it shot a white band of energy. The same energy he had used as shackles during the battle and for Prowlus he now used for the same reasons. The rest of the cheetahs' and the apes' hands were shackled. The dragons were all shackled in a row by their necks.

"What are you doing?" asked the black and gold dragon, Jakob.

"Do we really want to know?" spoke his friend, Crystal.

"Oh, please, no talking. The show has begun," Gaul shushed them. "For my first act, I will require a volunteer from the audience. Anyone?"

No one moved.

"You there, earth dragon. Erthal is it?" Gaul pointed to him. He gestured for him to come. "Why don't you step forth."

Erthal didn't move.

"Very well then." Gaul clapped his hands three times quickly, and from within the ship came five humanoid figures. They wore black military-like stealth uniforms, gas masks; and wielded solid black, razor sharp axes.

Blizzeara and Flamaro, who were both next to Gavin, pressed themselves against him; trying to distance themselves from the figures while trembling with fear. "Those are the ones who took mom," Flame spoke.

"Oh, that's right," said Gaul with humorous realization in his voice, "Blizzeara and Flamaro have already met my five assistants." He looked to the five. "Go ahead; remove your masks for a second so that they may see your faces."

The five figures did as they were told. Their faces were completely black models of a human face.

They put their masks back on as Gaul spoke again, "Shadow men, as I call them, a personal creation of mine. Don't worry, Blizz and Flame, if I may call you that, they took good care of your mom. They did such a good job that they're going to help me bring Erthal here to the front of the stage." He gestured to his five assistants.

The shadow men walked to the earth dragon as his bond was released by Gaul, breaking the end link in the draconic chain next to Ember, and began to push the dragon with the head of their axes. Erthal resisted with fear beginning to show in his eyes. One of the shadow men raised its axe and brought it down onto the earth dragon's side. Blood splattered onto the shadow man and Erthal screamed.

"Come now, don't make this any harder on yourself than it already is. Just come here," said Gaul, feigning concern.

Erthal reluctantly limped up to Gaul through his pain. The man put his hand on the dragon's shoulder and gestured towards him. "Let's give a round of applause for Erthal the earth dragon, everyone." Gaul applauded along with Malick who was watching from the side. Both were enjoying their twisted little show. It would get worse; much, much worse.

"You're crazy," said Erthal.

"Am I?" asked Gaul. "Tell me, Erthal, have you ever heard of _Assassin's Creed_?"

The earth dragon just stared at him. Gavin began to breathe deeply, wondering what twisted plan was in store.

"Come on, you might as well answer the question," Gaul pressed as one of the shadow men took a step towards Erthal.

"No, I haven't," answered Erthal finally, showing relief when the shadow man stepped back to where he had been standing.

"Than this will be all the more interesting for you," said Gaul, leaning in close to the dragon's face. He then stood up and faced his audience. "Now I do believe that we might have two or three dragons that have heard of it. You, turquoise dragon," he pointed, "I believe your name is Crystal, have you heard of it?"

The dragoness shook her head.

"Oh? Too bad. I suppose that you don't seem like the gaming type. How about you two?" he pointed to Gavin and Jakob. "Have you two ever heard of _Assassin's Creed_?"

Reluctantly, both black dragons nodded their heads.

"Good!" exclaimed Gaul, "It is a great game, isn't it? Nothing is true, everything is permitted. We work in the dark to serve the light or something like that." Gaul chuckled, amused with himself, as he switched his staff to his left hand and raised his right. From under his wrist and within his sleeve, a black blade formed from shadows. "Can either of you tell me what this is?" He looked to either dragon expectantly, but with no reply. "Oh come on, it's from the games!" Still no reply. He pointed to Jakob. "Come on, Jakob, your name is Jakob isn't it? What is this?" He pointed to the blade.

"It's a…hidden blade," Jakob answered.

Gavin's fear for Erthal was growing more and more.

"That is correct!" cheered Gaul. He put his staff down. It disappeared in an envelopment of shadows. "What, that? It was merely for the disguise. Because I liked it, I decided to keep it a little longer, but I don't really need it." He looked back to the blade. As he ran his figure up one edge of the blade and down the other he said, "The hidden blade was quite a nifty idea for the assassins, in my opinion. It fit its role perfectly." Gaul flexed his wrist forward and the blade disappeared into his sleeve. "Hiding in the sleeve, much like the assassins hid in the shadows, the blade would pop out at its owner's command," at this, Gaul flexed his wrist back and the blade unsheathed, "ready for the kill."

Gaul looked to the group with a smile. "Unfortunately, this blade is much too short for a dragon if ever it needed, for _some_ reason, to be used against one. If it would even succeed in puncturing one's scales, it would do little damage, but…" Gaul raised a finger. "…if I flick it twice, like this…" Gaul illustrated his narration. After his second flick, the blade became larger. "…it grows longer. Making it more deadly and allowing it to…" Gaul turned on Erthal and jammed the blade into the dragon's chest, causing a gasp to issue from the group and earth dragon whose eyes were bulging. Gaul wrapped his other arm around the back of the earth dragon's head and pulled him closer. Looking him in the eyes he said, "What was it that Italian assassin, Ezio, would always say? Oh, that's right: requiescat in pace; which, in Latin, means: rest in peace."

He unwrapped his arm and pulled the blade from the dragon. Erthal fell and disappeared into shadows. The murderer jumped onto where Erthal had just stood. "I assure you, there are no trapdoors." Gaul then looked at his blood stained blade and wiped it clean against his sleeve. He admired it for a second and then it disappeared in a puff of shadow.

"Oh, don't think that the show's over, I have three more acts." Gaul looked around with mock confusion on his face. "Now where have my assistants gotten off to?"

Gaul, placing his hand under his chin, looked around some more with his audience. His five shadow men had disappeared. Erthal's killer looked over the side of the ship, towards the cheetah Village of Avalar. "Oh, there they are!" he exclaimed. He hopped into a nearby dingy with Malick and floated away from the ship while gesturing towards the group. "Come, come. Don't be shy."

Gavin, Blizzeara, Flame, Ember, Spyro, Cynder, Jakob, Crystal, Crystello, Sharder, Hunter, RedPaw, Bianca, and Prowlus all walked to the side of the ship together, fearing what was to come next, and looked over the railing.

"No!" yelled Prowlus when his eyes fell onto the set up for Gaul's next twisted act. "Please, don't do this!"

Gaul placed a finger against his lips. "Shh…do not disturb the others around you during the show. The two children, Strider and Rosy, and female, Jubatusra, who you see down there we found at a camp set up away from the village. It was a camp intended to keep those who wouldn't be fighting in battle safe. I decided that, since the fighting had stopped, they should be returned to their village. The blue furred male's name is Shalir."

In front of the village below, four cheetahs were on their knees with their hands bound behind their backs with rope. Two were only children, one was a female, and the other had blue fur; like Gaul had stated. One shadow man stood behind each of the children and female with a black shadow knife in their hands. One stood on either side of the blue cheetah with their axes.

"Shalir, no," whispered RedPaw. He looked to the man floating in the dingy. "Gaul, please, you've already killed one. I think you've made your point. Spare my brother and Prowlus's family."

"Ah, ah, ah," replied Gaul, "What did I just say? Do not interrupt the show." He looked down at his set stage. "Malick, will you do the honors?" Malick signaled to the shadow men.

In turn, each shadow man stepped forth and slit the throat of the cheetah in front of them. Once they did so, they pushed their kill forward into shadows that enveloped them and disappeared.

Prowlus yelled, "No!" for each cheetah as he watched the murder of his family helplessly from the ship; the third, last, saddest, and quietest for his mate. The devastated cheetah slouched against the railing onto his knees and cried as she disappeared into the shadows. Hunter and Bianca placed their shackled hands on Prowlus's back as RedPaw watched the next execution; his brother; in much the same way Prowlus had just watched his family's.

The two shadow men raised their axes. RedPaw saw his brother slouch lower as they dropped the razor heads of their axes onto him. At the same time that their axes hit, Shalir was swallowed by shadows. When they disappeared, all that was left were the shadow men's axe heads digging into the dirt. RedPaw closed his eyes and wept.

"You're a monster!" hissed Cynder.

"Oh, I take that as a compliment," spoke Gaul in reply, "coming from the 'Terror of the Skies' that's something of worth; but please save your compliments for later, after the show. There is so much more to see." He gestured towards his behemoth ship that was blocking out the sun in the sky. "Please, do turn your attention skyward. I've had a showing of my jewel here before, but I assure you that you haven't seen it all. Now first, let's have a small demonstration of what exactly it can do." Gaul waved to the ship, and its canons unloaded.

The group watched as the fired cannonballs arced and slammed into the village with deadly force. Screams omitted from the village as its inhabitants tried to flee, but the group watched as the runners were quickly cut down by the shadow men. Each kill fell and disappeared into shadows.

Gaul quickly waved for the ship to stop and turned back to his audience. "And don't think that Fvarwal and his force of dragons and moles will help them. I dealt with them earlier. It's amazing how much fear and hatred swims in the eyes of a commander as he helplessly watches his comrades be slain in front of him. The look is much like what is in all of your eyes now."

Gaul's brow furrowed as he looked to Spyro and Cynder. Both dragons seemed to be tingling with anger. They almost looked to have darkness radiating around their bodies. Gavin had noticed this and was shielding Blizzeara with his wing over her and Flame with his body.

"Oh dear," Gaul said with mock surprise, "How could I be so stupid to forget about the little convexity surprise that you two possess." He lifted his hand as Spyro and Cynder unleashed their fury breath upon him. The breath, however, was stopped by Gaul's clear yet seeable aura which was issuing from his hand.

He held them at bay, examining the nails on his other hand as if nothing was happening, until both dragons had to stop with the realization that their efforts were futile. Even more darkness was radiating from their bodies, causing Blizzeara to press herself against Gavin's side who was pressing against Flame who was pressing against Ember who was brushing against Hunter. Jakob and Crystal were pushing the other direction, Crystal's side brushed against Crystello. They were all trying to get as much distance from the two dragons as the shackles would allow. Spyro and Cynder had never converted to their dark forms at the same time. Who knew what would happen and if the dragons could be brought back to control? Gavin was trying to talk them down, but they needn't have worried.

Gaul encased the two dragons in his clear aura with the index fingers of both hands. His arms were crossed as his left hand dealt with the dragon to his right, Cynder, and his right hand dealt with the dragon to his left, Spyro. "Malick, a little help, please."

The younger looking man, who had been standing quietly, enjoying the show, raised his arms while grasping the air. From both Cynder and Spyro came a black, shadowy darkness that filled the air above them. When it was completely out, Gaul released them and both dragons fell to the wooden deck; pulling Blizzeara and Jakob, the dragons shackled next to them, down towards them and the rest nearer. Weakly, the two dragons returned to their feet as Gaul said, "You should be thanking me, and don't worry. All that I took from you was the convexity. You'll no longer have to worry about your dark forms taking control."

Gaul looked to the convexity that Malick held suspended. "I should send these back to where they belong; but who knows," the way Gaul said this made it sound like he did know, "I may have a use for them. Malick, bring them here." The convexity floated to Gaul as two small, black, glassy looking boxes appeared in his hands. With his thumbs, he opened the cases and waited as Malick guided the convexity into them. When it was in, he closed the boxes.

"I apologize for the disturbance," Gaul addressed, "let us return to the show. Now where were we?" He turned around towards the village. "Ah yes! Now, if you think that that was amazing, wait until you see this" Gaul chuckled. "I've wondered how this part would work."

The group watched as Gaul melded the boxes into one big, dark purple, shadow ball of convexity that he suspended over his head. He allowed it to grow a little larger and then casted it towards his ship.

"You planned that!" Gavin shouted.

"Yes, I did," Gaul confirmed, "Spyro and Cynder, by resisting, only made taking the convexity from them all the more entertaining."

They watched as the ball struck the ship. A very dark purple glow took the place of the sun's rays as the ship underwent a grand transformation. Its wood turned to black crystal and its curved surfaces changed into a more cutting edge appearance. Its canons grew long, sleeker; now having more of the appearance of artillery canons; and more numerous. They no longer poked out of holes in the ship's hull, but appeared to now be on swiveling axis; allowing them to rotate and point in different directions. A very large and very long canon formed under the ship.

As the company watched this with awe, Gaul pushed the ship that they stood on back with his clear aura and floated his and Malick's dingy in the same direction. "I recommend that the audience retain a distance for the final stages of the show."

"Why are you doing this?" demanded Gavin.

Gaul smiled. "That is an excellent question. I haven't told you why I'm bringing such quality entertainment to you tonight. You see, I have heard of paths to peace. Of ways that the worlds could stop warring with themselves and live in harmony; but neither choose to have the all of their inhabitants follow one path. Instead, they separate, and different groups follow different paths. One would think that this would work; that because they are all on some path to peace that they would stop fighting and further pursue their happiness; but no, instead, one path claims to be the best and tries to force the others to follow its ways, causing more fighting and pain rather than the peace that it claims to bring.

"I have come with a plan. I plan to shut up all these other paths and finally do the one thing that the worlds have failed to do: to create order and have everyone follow a single path. In this way, the worlds will truly live in peace."

"What you are doing now does not seem peaceful to me!" exclaimed Hunter.

"Sacrifices must be made before I can achieve my goal," explained Gaul.

"Then do you not contradict yourself!?" Prowlus shouted. "You are doing the thing that you just accused the supposed other paths to peace of doing: bringing about fighting and pain while claiming that your way is best!"

"Is that what you think?" questioned Gaul. "You haven't heard the full story yet. You see, when the other paths try to best themselves, they only try to convince others. I, on the other hand, plan to do what they don't. I plan to destroy all other hope and bring forth my path as the only hope."

"You think that you will succeed, Gaul?" Gavin spoke, "There is one path that others have tried to destroy in the past. Every time, they failed. It is a path that you cannot block. It is a path commanded by someone who is The Greatest of All; greater than even the greatness that you think of for yourself."

"I know the path that you speak of," Gaul spat as his sight fell onto the Roman cross around the dragon's neck, "We shall see how your fellow Christians stand up against me."

"If God is for us, than who can be against us?"

Gaul simply snorted at the dragon and turned to his ship. Its transformation was complete and it now looked like something out of a sci-fi movie with its sleek black crystal look and huge guns. "You know, I had thought about showing off my new artillery guns, but let's just skip over to the main course of our second to last act." Gaul raised his hand, but stopped.

Something in his mind, something that had been dormant; ignored, exiled, and locked away by him and the dark power he had allowed to consume him; was awakening and beginning to shine through the dominating darkness of his mind. He realized how much he had missed this light and how much he wanted it to come back and shine through. He didn't fight the light. Instead he helped it to eliminate the darkness, and then he ran towards it. His true self began to realize what he was doing and that he was speaking for the wrong side; that everything he had just said he did not agree with. They hadn't been words coming from him, but from the ideas that the dark power in his mind had planted.

Gavin and his allies looked to him; waiting for what devastation he planned next; not knowing what was going on in his head.

"The Christian dragon is right, Shleel," spoke Gaul, but his voice sounded like Malick's.

Everyone instantly became confused.

Ignitus's words rang in Gavin's head, "The war that this enemy has brought is one that is going to have many twists…"

Gaul, who sounded like Malick, continued while Malick, who he had called Shleel, stared at him with anger in his eyes while clenching his fists, "For too long I've been under your power, but I once was a Christian too."

Malick, who now sounded like Gaul, seethed, "No. When I found you, you had turned your back on your God. You wanted nothing to do with Him!"

"But God is forgiving. He would take him back if he tried to return," Gavin threw in hurriedly, thinking that he might actually like where this was going.

"He's right again," said Malick's voice.

"Shut up!" Malick…or Gaul…or Sheel, whoever he was, lifted his hand and shot a white band of energy at Gavin's mouth. It struck and rendered the dragon silent. Gavin, however, felt as though he could easily chew through the energy; as if it was a simple weak band of string that could succumb to his teeth. However, with something telling him that he should allow the enemy to think that he still had full power, Gavin allowed himself to be kept quiet.

"I've realized," said the one who looked like Gaul, "how much I've strayed from the path of the Provider. I was stupid to leave, and I do want to return. This dragon is a miracle brought forth to save me from the pit I have fallen into; the very pit that I dug."

The one who looked like Malick was furious. The stupid dragon and his stupid ways, he would be sure that the path he followed was among the first to go. "And I thought that you were a worthy apprentice," he said as he raised his hand to the chest of the one who appeared to be Gaul. "I guess that you were useful for the time I had you. You did a good job with being me. It's possible that I could have done better, but I enjoyed watching myself nonetheless." His form began to melt, his hair grew long and black and he grew a little taller, as a yellow bolt shot from the point blank distance between him and…Malick, if the group had followed everything right.

The impact threw him from the dingy, over the group's head, and onto the other side of the ship. His body glowed yellow as he laid there, with his eyes closed, in his black uniform.

Gavin thought that maybe he should have said something.

Attention was focused back on the real Gaul as he finished his transformation.

"You are the real Gaul, right?" voiced Jakob, "not some other apprentice or henchman of his, because that could be a number one on a list of reeeaal messed up stuff."

Gavin and the others silently agreed.

"Yes, it is I. No tricks this time," the real Gaul laughed, his mood already lightened for the rest of his show. "Unlike what Malick said, I think that I will show off my artillery canons. What you have said and just did; turning my apprentice; who, as I said, I thought had real potential, much like I once thought you did, Gavin; against me." He growled what he said next, "I assure you, I will waste no more time with apprentices, and I no longer think that the potential I detected in you was potential to be with me. It was and is potential to be against me. I want you to see what power I have by myself. What I can use to crush the hopes of the other paths and set mine as the only one." Gaul turned to the ship; recreating the scene that had been interrupted before, but without Malick standing at his side; raised his hand, and clenched his fist.

The ship opened fire as Gavin and the group watched brain locked. Purple shells of convexity rained down onto the village. They exploded into a purple radius upon impact and threw up dirt and debris. Many shadow encasings, which were beginning to be the sign of death brought about by Gaul, appeared and disappeared.

Gaul allowed several seconds for the shelling and then signaled for the ship to cease fire. "And now for my grand light show." He slid his thumb over his neck and then held it out, his thumb down.

The ship's bottom canon, the huge one, rotated and pointed towards the village. A dingy floated up next to Gaul as he formed an invisible barrier over himself, the new dingy; upon which the five shadow men appeared out of shadow envelopments; and the ship that his audience stood on.

Gavin was silently praying as the ship's canon launched its deadly missile of convexity. Everything was quiet except for the huge rumble and whirring that filled the air. The missile struck the center of the village and a blinding flash of light, which caused everyone to squint, joined the noise which was substituted by an explosion. The ships that Gaul and his audience stood on were pushed back by the force of the impact.

When the light faded away and the noise died down, everyone opened their eyes. The feeling of helplessness that they had all had during this show was replaced by a feeling of weakness and devastation with the sight that they saw. What was once the Village of Avalar was now a black crater. There was nothing left but the crater. Even the docking area on the river had been blown into the water by the force of the impact. Hunter and RedPaw joined Prowlus on their knees. Everyone else just stared, stunned that Gaul had wiped out the whole village in such a little amount of time.

"And that concludes our show for today," Gaul said in conclusion to his whole twisted show as he turned back to everyone, "you have been such a great audience."

"What's wrong, Gaul?" said Crystello, his voice a monotone, "Decide not to show us the final part to your show. From what has been said, you had one more thing in store for us. I suppose you're going to force us to watch the destruction of Warfang next."

Gaul laughed. "That's what made you such a great audience. You paid so much attention. No, that was the grand finale for tonight. The part that has yet to pass is the encore." He clasped his hands together with a snicker spreading across his face. "Tell everyone that they did such a good job in making this all possible. I thank you all. Goodnight." With that, Gaul and his shadow men were enveloped in shadows and then were gone.

Everyone just stood there; Gavin and his allies, Liquel and his pirates; with Malick's body still lying behind them, his eyes closed in death's sleep; not knowing what to do.

"I think we been fightin' for the wrong side, mates," Liquel addressed his pirates with no emotion in his voice.

The bonds around the hands of the apes and cheetahs and the necks of the dragons and mouth of Gavin disappeared; but dark, shadowy shackles suddenly sprang up from the boards of the ship's deck in their place, holding all but the pirates and body of Malick in place. Their gaze focused on Gaul's black ship, still blocking out the sun, as its artillery canons swiveled to point at them.

Liquel quickly sprang to action as everyone realized what the encore involved. He jumped at Crystello's feet and began pulling at the shackles, trying to find a way to break them. His mates followed suite with relief as they realized that their captain had decided to no longer fight for Gaul and began trying to break away the shackles around the others' feet and paws.

None of the group moved their eyes. "Liquel," spoke Crystello, "it's no use. Save yourself and your fellows. You still have a chance. Seek out the Guardians in Warfang. Tell them all that has happened here."

"A captain always goes down with 'is ship!" yelled Liquel stubbornly, "and ye captained and commanded us well! We will not leave ye all behind!"

Crystello placed his hand on Liquel's shoulder, causing him to stop, and looked him in the eye. "Liquel, that's an order."

The ape looked at his friend with sad reluctance, but followed the command because he still considered Crystello his captain and friend. "Abandon ship!" he commanded the other pirates.

They all reluctantly plunged over the side to the valley's river below; leaving the four cheetahs, two apes, and eight dragons to await Gaul's encore's finish.

Gavin felt Blizzeara wrap her tail around his. She pressed her face against his shoulder, closing her eyes as he laid his wing over her. "I guess this is the end," she said, "I never thought that things would happen this way."

"I don't think any of us did," spoke Gavin. He looked to his friends around him. Ember was hugging Flame; Spyro hugged Cynder; Jakob and Crystal stood with their tails intertwined, looking to the ship and down its many barrels. Crystello and Sharder stood with their hand on each other's shoulder; brother and brother. Hunter and Prowlus had returned to their feet. They, Bianca, and RedPaw all stood together with a sad defiance.

Gavin laid his head on top of Blizzeara's and lifted his paw, the shadow shackle around it fading away. He laid his paw over and gripped Blizzeara's paw. His digits and claws rested between hers.

The ice dragoness pulled away and looked at Gavin's paws. All of his shackles had disappeared. "Gavin, you're free."

"I've said it before, Gaul has no power over me," the black light dragon declared.

Blizzeara looked Gavin in the face. "You can get away; survive."

Gavin looked Blizzeara in the eyes. "But who would I be to abandon my friends and leave them to die? I'm going to be as stubborn as Liquel wanted to be, but I won't take an order from any of you to flee."

Blizzeara laid her head against Gavin's neck. Gavin laid his head against hers, hugging back, and closed his eyes. He remembered a time when he had been falling after being blown from a ship, he had been waiting to hit the ground below, but he never did. That seemed like so long ago. Gavin felt Blizzeara grip his paw squeezing his digits between hers. He squeezed back. This time, he wasn't falling alone as the others fell around him.

Gavin heard multiple blasts and the whirring sound that the fired convexity shells made as they soared through the air towards him and his friends. They waited.

* * *

**Author's Blurb:** Well...uh..."...that could be a number one on a list of reeeaal messed up stuff."

"If God is for us, than who can be against us?"

~Stick With Me~


	15. Chapter 13: Things Explained

Chapter 13: Things Explained

All was quiet. Gavin still held on to Blizzeara, he hadn't been thrown from her. Had it really happened that quickly? Were they dead? He hugged the ice dragoness even tighter than he already was.

"Well, it's good to see that there isn't a lack of love between you all," came a wise voice that was all too familiar.

Gavin, Blizzeara, and the rest of the dragons pulled away from each other and looked with surprise, some with added joy because they had recognized the voice. They stood in a gray stone circular room. Its walls were shelves that went all the way around; only stopping for the three archways on the north, east, and west sides of the room and the door on the south side; and in the center stood a huge elegant hourglass, whatever it contained; some sort of purple liquid or energy; flowing to the bottom, that could be flipped with the help of a horizontal axis.

Before the group, stood a wise elder dragon; everything about him, even his irises, different shades of white and gray white besides his wings and pupils; which were black, but not his membrane; and clothing. He had crests coming out of his cheeks and under his chin. Back crests and spines ran down his spine. His horns, to describe them, looked like longer, straighter, more upright forms of Spyro's. He wore, hanging from his back, a material with designs. It was fashioned in a way to where it settled around his back crests, spines, and where his wings connected to his back. Attached to the material and around his lower neck and shoulders was a thick gold collar that also had designs. From this was a golden chain from which hung, what Gavin now realized to be, a Vinesca crystal. How he hadn't noticed this during his first meeting with Ignitus, Gavin did not know.

Around his back also hung two holsters. On his left side the holster held a quiver of pens, on his right the holster held an ink well. He wore two golden rings around his tail. His tail tip was like Flame's; being that it wasn't a blade, but was crests that jutted out like flames on the upper and lower sides of his tail.

Gavin could feel Blizzeara and Flame's excitement as they both exclaimed, "Dad!" and ran towards the Chronicler who stood before them: Ignitus. The wise dragon bent his head down so that the two could lay their necks against his in a draconic embrace.

"Come now," said Ignitus, "you didn't really think that I wouldn't intervene when some of who the prophesy spoke about having a large role to play were about to be slaughtered. Especially when among them were my daughter and two sons. It may have been difficult with my abilities being blocked, but I managed to succeed in bringing you all here with the fact that you were all gathered together."

Had he heard right? Gavin thought for sure that Ignitus had said two sons, but Flame was his only son…right?

Fortunately, Gavin wasn't the only one who had caught Ignitus's words. Both Flame and Blizzeara pulled away, question in their eyes.

"Two sons?" asked Flame.

Ignitus looked up towards the purple dragon who stood next to Cynder. "Spyro, I thought for sure that you would have joined in the hug, even though you had no idea. You admitted how you think of me to Blizz and Flame. Young dragon, your feelings were not too far from the truth and how I felt towards you."

Spyro stood there, his mind trying to decipher what Ignitus was saying. He remembered the times that Ignitus used to do this with puzzles. Only this time, Ignitus really wasn't giving Spyro a puzzle to solve. The purple dragon was thinking too hard. Finally, however, his mind clicked and he looked to the Chronicler with wide eyes. All he managed to say through the emotions that were flooding him was, "Dad?"

"Come here, my son!" laughed Ignitus. "Join in the hug with your siblings."

"Dad!" Spyro cried as he ran and joined the hug in the space between Blizzeara and Flame, his brother and sister. Tears ran from the purple dragon's eyes along with his siblings'.

When the hug broke up, Ignitus said, "There have been many things throughout my life that I have waited for, but none more than this; when I could finally reveal your family to you, Spyro, and you to your family. If only your mother were here."

"What happened to mom?" asked Blizzeara.

"I wish that I knew," answered Ignitus.

"I thought that the Chronicler knew when a dragon died or not," Spyro stated.

"Usually he or she does," Ignitus explained as a book floated down from one of the shelves, "but I haven't been able to tell of any deaths. The books that would say so are blacked out. See for yourself."

The book opened, its pages were black.

"It is the same way with all the other books that chronicle deaths. I am not able to see whether or not any new deaths have been added. I believe that this is the work of Gaul, or Shleel as your friend over there calls him by his true name."

The book closed and floated back to its place as everyone turned around to see yet another confusing sight.

Malick had been transported too and he still lay on his back, his eyes closed and his hair ruffled. His lungs, however, caused his torso to rise and fall. He was still alive, but that was not the only thing that kept everyone's attention. His uniform, which was black, was slowly bleeding white, even his shoes bled white. It started in patches and bled together until all that was left was a black Roman cross on his chest. This stayed for several seconds, and then it too turned white. Malick's black uniform; button up shirt which was tucked into his pants which fell over his shoes that looked like dress shoes; was now a pure white uniform.

The man opened his eyes, sat up quickly, and turned his body towards them. With something that no one but Ignitus could translate in his eyes, he looked to each cheetah, ape, and dragon in turn. His gaze finally fell and focused on Ignitus.

"He has spoken with you," Ignitus stated.

"Yes," answered Malick, "I have spoken with and thanked Him, and among the things He told me, He told me to thank you," his eyes turned to Gavin, "and you." Malick smiled as his eyes fell onto the Roman cross that hung around Gavin's neck. "He is great, isn't He?"

Gavin smiled, realizing who the man was speaking of. "Yes, and that's an understatement."

Malick chuckled. "He still loves you. He enjoys the faith that you have even though you are a dragon. He has a plan for you," Malick looked to everyone, "for all of us. Shleel has quite a surprise coming his way."

"Who has a plan?" asked Ember, confused with everyone else besides Ignitus, Gavin, and Malick.

Gavin was the one to answer, "God does."

"Yes," spoke Ignitus, "and this is where I should start explaining. You see, it turns out that the Chronicler has much more of a duty than simply chronicling the events of the dragon world.

"I was walking through the north section of the library, trying to make sense of current events and why this human had suddenly appeared in our world. Absent mindedly, I stepped onto a pressurized stone. When I felt my paw sink, I was pulled from my thoughts as a hole in the ceiling was opened up. Curious as you would guess, I flew through the hole.

"It led me into an entirely different library that was linked only by this hidden tunnel. It appeared that this library was some sort of middle section between our world and the humans'. As I explored this new library with as much awe as you could imagine, my steps found another pressurized stone that again opened a hole, but in this library's ceiling. I flew through and relived what I had just went through with yet another library, this one contained events of the human world.

"Now, within this library's center, which looks much like the middle section's and one we stand in now, there was not only an hourglass, but there was also an orb that glowed with a fierce white light. I laid my paw on it, and received amazing revelations.

"Alongside my chronicling duties, I am also a servant who performs whatever he is called to do whenever he is called to do it."

"Who are you a servant of?" asked Gavin.

"The God who you and other Christians believe in and follow. Yes, man was created in His image and they are His children, but He also created everything else. He created this world, and you will notice that the inhabitants of it are similar to animals found on the human world with the addition of several other species. Fire Birds, which humans know as phoenixes, and dragons to name two. Why He created this world as well, I do not know, but He works in very mysterious ways and has chosen to use us in the way that He has to carry out His plan."

"And His plan will prevail for the best," said Gavin.

"Yes, but we must all do our part. The war that the enemy, Shleel, has brought is going to be one with many twists, as you have all experienced. It also has much more at stake because this war is going to be fought over two worlds instead of just one."

"And I thought that there was a lot of pressure on us when we were fighting Malefor," stated Cynder.

Spyro agreed with a, "Yeah."

"Speaking of Malefor," said Ignitus, "On the human world there is a mysterious area that is known as the Bermuda Triangle. Some human scientists believe that what occurs there is caused by magnetic disturbances, but most who travel into the Triangle experience unexplainable happenings and sights. After I had received the revelations from the orb, the Vinesca crystal hanging from my neck activated and I was teleported into the heart of the Bermuda Triangle. There is an island there that was home to a large collection of amber crystals. Much like the ones that Hunter found Spyro, Cynder, and Sparx encased in.

"It was obvious that the crystals had been there for so long because they had managed to get so big, and whatever they encased could not be seen because they had become opaque. I touched the largest and center crystal of the outcropping. It cracked, and then shattered. What had been within plopped onto the now crystal scattered ground before me almost like a new, but already grown, hatchling; he regained his wits quickly, but his body had to take its time. You cannot imagine the surprise that I felt. It was a purple dragon, not Spyro, but one that was still familiar. He's a lot smaller than when you two, Spyro and Cynder, met him however. He's actually smaller than me. I think that he is just a little larger than Erthal, the poor dragon."

"Ignitus," said Cynder wondering if she was translating his implication right, "what do you mean? Who did you find?"

"Now Cynder, Spyro, the both of you, I ask that you would both be understanding and hear him out. The dragon that I found was…"

Ignitus was interrupted by another voice, one that was familiar, but had less of an echo and didn't sound as dark and menacing. "Me."

A purple dragon, the exact size that Ignitus had described, appeared from the north library section's arch. It was Malefor, curved horns and all. He walked to Ignitus's side and sat down, causing Spyro to jump away in alarm and crouch into a battle stance.

"Now, now, young dragon," Ignitus said, "There is no need for that. This dragon is not your enemy."

"How could you say that?" asked Cynder. "You know what he did to me. What he turned me into and deprived me of."

"No, Cynder, you see, that wasn't the real Malefor. That was…"

"Ignitus," spoke Malefor, "please, may I be the one to tell them?"

"Why yes, of course," Ignitus replied, "Who better to explain yourself than…well…yourself."

Malefore nodded. "Thank you." He then began, "What Ignitus says is correct. The dragon that claimed to be Malefor was not really me, but it was my fault that he came into existence. You see, what is recorded is true...to a point. I did slowly begin to become power hungry, but the true story was somehow twisted. Somehow, dark power managed to twist even the Chronicler's copy of what happened, but it has been restored in truth. It was not the want to have power over all, and I do not believe in the idea that the destiny of all purple dragons was to bring about 'The Great Cleansing'." Malefor made air quotes with his claws. "The power hunger that I had was to build my strength, both elementally and physically, so that I could do good things; help others in need. The ancestors were so proud at my development and the good deeds that I did, and I was so glad whenever I could bring about happiness.

"And then one day something happened. I was hiking through the woods, exploring and checking to see if there was anyone lost or that I could help. As I was hiking, I decided to take to the air and stretch my wings a little. When I was airborne and over the upper canopy of the trees, I saw what looked like some sort of darkness pulsating from a mountain in the distance. This mountain would later become known as Mount Malefor, but then it was known as the Dragon Mountain. Deciding that this pulsating darkness didn't look too good, I flew to the mountain to investigate.

"What I found was a collection of dark crystals growing from the rock. I got too close and was pulled by some unseen force to the center of the collection. There I watched in horror as a shadow rose from the center crystal and formed into another me. It was a dark, twisted, and evil version of me, but me nonetheless. I think that it fed on the evil that was collected in the back of my mind. We all have that; thoughts that tell us to do evil; but it is our choice whether to listen to them or not, and I chose to push them into the back of my mind. This shadow, however, most have somehow found them, because he slowly got bigger.

"He let out a horrific laugh, and the next thing I knew I was on an island in the middle of some ocean. The other me stood across from me, an evil smile on his face, as amber crystal slowly began to form around my claws. Panicked, I desperately tried to break free, but it was no use. I looked to the dragon across from me with fear and sadness in my eyes as the crystal began to lift me up and overtake my body. My mind could only think about one thing, and that was my mate and son in Warfang and how I wished that I had listened to dear Starlight's sudden feeling and never left for the hike."

Malefor looked to his claws as he remembered. He was a pitiable site, especially compared to who everyone had thought that Malefor was. "Jakob was just a hatchling, I hope that he didn't hurt them too badly, because I failed them…and now they're gone; taken by the past and that evil."

"But not all is lost," said Ignitus his voice sounding like he knew something, which he did, "I know someone who said, not too long ago actually, that there is always a light in the darkness. What he said was much like what I once told Blizzeara, Flame, and my mate; Snowflake."

Malefor looked to the wise Chronicler with question. "What do you mean?"

"Did you say that your son's name was Jakob?" called a voice.

Malefor's eyes widened as he scanned the room. His eyes fell onto who had spoken, a black and gold dragon. He starred for a second. This dragon looked so much like… "Jakob, yes, my son's name was Jakob."

"No, Malefor," Ignitus corrected, "Your son's name _is_ Jakob. I found his book in the middle library. You see, when you supposedly became evil, both your son and mate disappeared. Most thought that you had killed them, but it turns out that they were teleported to the human world."

"But that was so long ago," argued Malefor, "Surely they would be dead by now."  
Ignitus shook his head. "I cannot explain it, but they were not only teleported through space, they were also teleported through time. The black and gold dragon sitting over there is your son."

Malefor looked to the dragon. He smiled as tears wet his eyes. "Hello, my son, Jakob."

Jakob looked to the dragon, not really knowing how to react he simply said, "Hello, dad?"

Malefor turned back to Ignitus. "Where is Starlight?" he asked.

"That is yet another thing among many now a days that I do not know. Shleel got to her and stabbed her. He had been trying to get to Jakob, but she protected him and he was taken in by Crystal's family, who was another family turned dragon. I cannot say that she's dead because her body was enveloped by shadow and disappeared. As you know, I am not able to even search the book. It is the same with Snowflake as it is with many others."

Malefor nodded and then continued, there was more that he had to say. "Well, I have regained something that I thought was lost, but what was taken away from you Cynder cannot be returned. Even though I did not do it, I want to ask for your forgiveness, for all of your forgiveness."

It took some time, but slowly and in turn each head nodded their forgiveness until Cynder and Spyro were left. Malefor waited.

Spyro was the first of the two to answer. "I understand the basic of a dark form. Although I don't know what it's like for the form to have its own physical existence, Cynder and I had dark forms that would take us over. We couldn't control our actions very well and our minds became stubborn. I forgive you."

Malefor nodded his gratitude and then looked to Cynder.

She looked back with a hard stare, but it softened with a sigh. "Spyro is right, and I realize how much hate I have for you when it wasn't really you who did those things to me. This leads me to realize that you stand in the same place that I once did. After I was saved by Spyro and the true me was freed, I sought others forgiveness as well. I remember how much it hurt as I tried to explain and get others to understand. It didn't always work, and that always upset me," Cynder added with sarcasm, "but all I had to do to earn everyone's trust and forgiveness was help to save the world." Cynder along with the others laughed lightly at this. "Malefor, I don't want to be the cause of that kind of hurt. I forgive you."

Malefor closed his eyes, nodded, and sighed as a weight was lifted off of his shoulders. Cynder, although she thought it odd, also felt a weight on her that hadn't been lifted after she had received everyone's forgiveness disappear.

"Thank you," said Malefor, "thank you all."

Gavin looked to the Chronicler. He had remembered something that Ignitus had said to him when they had spoken in the dream, and is was beginning to nag him. "Ignitus, when you came to me in the dream, you said something about how I was to lead many allies and friends. What did you mean by that?"

"An excellent question to allow us to continue," Ignitus began his answer, "and I meant what I said. _You_ are to lead many allies and friends. Do you not see who is gathered around you?"

Gavin looked around at his…allies and friends. "But why me? Why should I be their leader? Wouldn't it make more sense if Spyro or Prowlus or someone else was leader? Prowlus, at the very least, has the experience of being the chief of an entire village."

"There are parts to a prophesy that are unclear. Some parts don't become clear until they have passed, but this was among the things that are clear.

"…_and the dragon who bears the cross and brings forth light shall be their leader; and he shall also be bestowed with the abilities of teleportation between the worlds."_

"But why me?" the black light dragon asked again.

"Gavin, sometimes it is unclear why we are chosen for something or why something happens, but you know as well as I do that there is reason. All we have to do is trust in God's plan and listen to His guidance."

Gavin nodded his head. "You're right." He took a minute as he accepted the responsibility that had been given to him and then looked back to Ignitus. "Abilities of teleportation?"

"Yes, I am to give you the ability to teleport between worlds."

"You can do that?"

"I think that this will answer your question." A Vinesca crystal pendant appeared on the chain of Gavin's necklace next to the cross. The dragon looked to it bewildered. He went to lift it to get a better look, but stopped himself.

"It is alright, young dragon," Ignitus explained, "This crystal you can touch. It will not activate until you are touching it and tell it to."

Gavin lifted the crystal an examined it. It was just like a miniature version of the one he had found in the corn field oh so long ago; a white opaque that had blue veins swirling around in it and gave off a light aura. He let go and looked to Ignitus. "So all I have to do is touch it and tell it to take me to the human world?"

"Yes," answered the Chronicler, "but make sure to tell it where on the human world you want to appear. If you don't, you could end up in the middle of a desert or even an ocean."

Gavin nodded his head in understanding.

Ignitus now addressed everyone. "You should all get your rest. You have been through much and still have much ahead of you. You will stay here in sanctuary while those who need it are further trained."

"But won't that give Gaul…er…Shleel more time to achieve his goal?" Jakob spoke out.

Ignitus responded, "Would you rather fly into battle with nothing but your wings, teeth, claws, and tail; or with skills sharpened for combat and the knowledge of the doings of your enemy? Although Shleel has weakened my abilities, I am still able to see what he is doing. Get your rest; even catch up with your father. You two have missed so much time together, and Malefor still has blanks that need filled in as to what has happened in both the human and dragon worlds."

The former Fire Guardian then turned back to Gavin, the group's leader. "Gavin, I should tell you; now that you have accepted your role as leader, you have a decision to make. The war is being waged on two fronts. The prophesy speaks of the group splitting up so that they may fight on both, but it does not say _how_ they split. You are the leader, it is your decision to make. Be thinking about it."

"Now all of you, get some rest," Ignitus dismissed, "Here, these might be useful." Millows, as Gavin called them, appeared around the dragons and hourglass.

Spyro, Flame, and Blizzeara stayed next to Ignitus, talking with him, while Malick stood nearby as everyone else found a millow. Cynder moved a millow over next to her brother and laid down.

"Spyro's so happy," she said as she mimicked the smile she saw on his face.

"Yeah," Gavin agreed, "and you know something that makes sense to me?"

"What?"

"It's random, but sometimes that's just how I am. Snowflake sounds like the name of an ice dragoness, which means that her scales were or are some shade of blue. Think about it, Ignitus's, before he was Chronicler, were red. It kind of makes sense to me. What happens when you mix blue and red? You get purple."

Cynder thought a moment. "Yeah, I guess that that does make sense. It explains why Flamaro's scales are red and blue and why Blizzeara's are blue and red."

"The offspring of two dragons of different elements and color will inherit one element and possibly a mixed color. Spyro, however, came out as a purple dragon, and there can only be one purple dragon."

Cynder was silent a moment and then said, "What do you think mom and dad's elements are?"

"Hmmm…" Gavin thought, "Well, one element is probably fire considering that that's your birth element. Maybe the other is…ice?"

"How do you guess that?"

"Well, my element is light. There's a movie from the human world that says something about pure light being fire and water."

"I don't know," said Cynder.

"I don't fully know either. I guess that in time we'll find out."

"I hope it's soon."

Gavin moved closer to his sister and gave her a hug by wrapping his wing around her and setting his neck over hers.

"Thanks," she said.

"For what?" asked Gavin.

"For being alive."

"Cynder," Gavin said as he pulled away, "you know that there's an easier way to say that."

"There is?" she had question in her eyes.

"Yes," Gavin answered, "Spyro won't get mad, we're family. All you have to do is say, 'I love you."

They hugged again.

"I love you, brother," Cynder said, the words feeling good as they were meant for family.

"I love you too, sis," replied Gavin.

They pulled away as Chief Prowlus approached with something to say to the male dragon of the two. "Gavin, what happened to the village, to my family… I do not care what he says about bringing peace; Shleel has caused the opposite."

"Chief Prowlus…" Gavin began, but was cut off by the cheetah's hand.

"Stop. My village is gone. I am no longer a Chief. I am now just Prowlus, an ally and friend of yours. Shleel has created an enemy whose blood family he killed. That is one of the worst kind of enemies. I along with Hunter, RedPaw; who feels the same way as I do since his brother and my friend, Shalir, was also murdered; and Bianca are under your leadership."

"I understand, Prowlus, but what are you getting at?"

"I want you to know that we have lost everything. We are willing to fight Shleel to our last breath in whatever way you tell us too."

"I'm glad to have your loyalty," said Gavin, "but you haven't lost everything. You still have each other and the rest of us."

Prowlus bowed his head, turned, and went to join the other three cheetahs. They had moved four millows into a group.

Spyro, Blizzeara, and Flame walked over. Spyro moved a millow to the other side of Cynder, Blizzeara moved one to the other side of Gavin, and Flame moved one next to her. Ember joined them with a millow of her own and laid on the other side of Flame, opposite of Blizzeara.

The black light dragon looked around him at the ones that he now led. Jakob, Crystal, and Malefor laid on millows together nearby. Although Jakob seemed a little hesitant at first, Gavin was glad to see that he and Malefor were talking. Their conversation seemed to ease the more they talked. Crystello and his brother, Sharder, were lying on millows next to each other. Gavin saw their hands move every now and then in gesture as they talked. The cheetah's sat on their millows in a group of four. They too conversed. Malick stood by the Chronicler and exchanged some talk with him, then he too found a millow for himself.

Gavin realized the responsibility that now rested upon him, but he also realized that this group of dragons, apes, and cheetahs were loyal to each other and would follow his command willingly. He did not want to fail them. He would not fail them. They were his family, and they would each watch out for each other.

The black light dragon yawned and laid down. He closed his eyes as his mind began to wander. He felt Blizzeara's tail hesitantly and lightly wrap around his. Before he could tighten his tail around her's, his mind went to the human girl he had liked, and his tail went limp at the thoughts. He had led on that he liked her. What would it mean if he allowed himself to fall in love with Blizzeara.

Gavin didn't pull his tail from Blizzeara's. He realized that a human and dragon being lovers wouldn't exactly work out. He was further consoled by the fact that neither he nor the girl had ever confessed their feelings to one another. Maybe she hadn't really liked him like he thought she did. Maybe she had just wanted to be friends, closer friends, but friends.

It was a little obvious, however, as to how Blizzeara felt for him; and he felt for her like that too. He wrapped his tail around her's and her grip became tighter. It was interesting as to how fast their love for each other had shown. They had only met a day ago. A smile spread across his face, and he later fell asleep while he thought about how he would split the group between the worlds. That was going to be a tough decision.

Ignitus surveyed the group that the prophesy spoke off. This was the group that was to help protect the true hope of the worlds. They were heroes, some of them unlikely, which had been chosen. Yes, there would be others who would be fighting, supply aid along the way, and preform heroic deeds, but these were the chosen ones.

Ignitus smiled as he saw some deeper love showing in the group. Spyro and Cynder had their tails intertwined as they slept. Gavin and Blizzeara did as well. He noticed that Jakob and Crystal had their paws together as they talked with Malefor. He also saw a dragon who seemed unsure. Ember laid next to his son, Flame, watching him sleep with love in her eyes. She, however, seemed to not know how to speak her feelings to the other fire dragon. Ignitus knew that she had wanted to on the ship before he had brought them to the library, but she hadn't.

The former Fire Guardian was curious. He summoned Ember and Flame's books forward and peered into them. Sometimes others were given the privilege to see bits and pieces of the future. The Chronicler was especially privileged with sometimes seeing a future part of God's plan through his or her books.

Ignitus laughed to himself as the books' pages turned. It was recorded that both dragons would have mates, but it did not say who their mates would be. The Chronicler looked upwards. "I know that whatever you have planned for them and all of the others is for the greater good, but you understand my curiosity on this subject. With Spyro and Cynder it is plain to see, and Blizzeara and Gavin have grown feelings fast for each other, but Flame is one of my offspring as well: my son. I am curious as to who he will find too, but I suppose that even the Chronicler can't have all his answers when he wants them. I trust you and thank you. There is much ahead; and I know that there will be bad, but I also know that there are good and greater things yet to come."

_To Be Continued…_

* * *

**Author's Blurb: **Notice how, when Malefor was forgiven, he felt that great amount of relief; and Cynder, though she found it odd, felt as though a left over weight had been lifted from her? This is true in reality. When you truly forgive someone, you set them...and yourself...free.

Remember that God is willing to and has forgiven us.

Romans 5:8 "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

To Be Continued..._  
_

"And His plan will prevail for the best."

~Stick With Me~


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